The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
by Nikki-Blaze
Summary: Bella has always been the odd one out, never having many friends. College life could turn that all around. But her friendship with Edward Cullen might not be exactly what it seems. Does the shy, sweet Edward have a secret? AH, OOC, DARK- by Mamma4ever
1. Chapter 1

**Only gonna say this once.. this officialy belongs to Mamma4ever who had given me permission to repost this so that when she pulls it off fanfic, people will still be able to read it. All her messages and stuff will be in this story and all credit goes to her and SM**

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><p><strong>The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful<strong>

**this is not a western! LOL!**

**Let me first say, I am making this ENTIRE fic *FICTION* (gasp!) I did so much dang research on FD that I missed out on some of the fun parts. I just want to enjoy this fic. The only "real" things will be the state she lives, the state her dad lives, and Harvard. I won't even promise that her courses are legit. I just wanna have fun lol.**

**Next, this is going to be a darker fic. Yes, I may have funny stuff here and there, because, well, I can't help it. I live with a bunch of clowns so sometimes they rub off on me. However, this will NOT be a comedy. (so that means no appearances from a very funny OC like FD, lol—sorry, I miss him too)**

**I need to thank my Literary Crew (LC) and yes, I have an actual crew this time! My darling beta, Spellboundagain had to step down and just become a pre-reader for me because she had to have shoulder surgery. I feel that her position is no less important than it was before, however, I have to introduce you to my newest beta, Rags, who will be taking over editing duty for sba :) Of course, Allysue08 will continue to be my meatier beta, who helps me beef up my chapters. Thanks guys! I have added two new positions to my LC and that is idea-bouncer-back-and-forther. LOL! I have to thank Shereebedee and Alitriona (aka Elia) for that job! They have helped me decide what should and should not be included in this fic! Thank you so much guys! You have all made this possible!**

**As always, I am only leasing these characters, unfortunately.**

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><p><strong>A New Leaf<strong>

BPOV

_August 19, 2009_

"Dad, I appreciate the help, I really do, but you've already driven me clear across the country, you don't need to help me unpack, too."

"I know, Bells, but…well…I'm gonna miss you." My dad, Charlie, had always been a man of few words. His exterior was tough, but inside, he was just a big ole softy.

My dad had always been supportive of my plan after high school, but when the day came for me to move all the way to Massachusetts, I could tell he was hurting inside. He was ecstatic that his only child had made it into Harvard, but being a Chief of Police didn't pay much and he knew our visits would be few and far between. This broke his heart more than he was willing to admit. After Mom died eight years ago, I was all Charlie had. I hated leaving him, but I had great plans for my future and I could only achieve them by leaving Forks…and therefore also my dad.

I compromised with him and let him help me unpack a few boxes, but made him promise to let me take him out to lunch afterward.

We were midway through the second box when I heard a soft knock on the opened dorm room door. I twirled around to see a girl my age smiling timidly and carrying a few suitcases.

She was a very pretty girl. She had long brown hair and wore the cutest pair of Mykita glasses, which complimented her smooth, slender face perfectly.

I stood up, gesturing quickly for her to come in, and rushed to scoot my boxes out of the way for her.

Her smile grew and she said, "You must be Isabella. Hello, I'm Angela. It's so nice to meet you." Her voice was so soft and gentle, letting me know right away that she was very kind-hearted and most likely shy as well.

This would be perfect. My biggest fear was that I would end up with a crazy and loud roommate who liked to party all hours of the night (and quite possibly be promiscuous right here in my room). I came to college for one reason, and one reason only, and that didn't include parties (or promiscuity for that matter). Yeah, call me a geek, call me a prude, but academics were my number one priority. I could have fun _after_ having made a life for myself.

I held out my hand and said, "Bella, actually, just Bella." I smiled and she shook my hand. "It's very nice to meet you, too, Angela." I nudged my dad with my elbow, but rolled my eyes as I looked at Angela. "This is my dad, Charlie."

Dad simply nodded and shook her hand.

"I wasn't sure which side you would prefer, so I haven't exactly chosen a side. You can pick, I am fine with either." I shrugged one shoulder letting her know it didn't matter to me.

"Um…well, I'm fine with either as well. How about I take the left?" She looked at me to make sure I was really fine with it, which I was.

Dad helped me finish up the second box and I offered Angela an invitation to lunch with us. She graciously declined, explaining that her older sister was coming to greet her in an hour or so. She informed us that her sister was a senior and she planned to 'show her the ropes' so she wouldn't feel like such a freshman. We both giggled and she told me that she would let me in on it as well.

As we were walking towards the nearest coffee shop, I started a conversation with my dad. Fat chance he would start one anytime soon.

"So, Angela seems nice."

_Grunt_

"I bet she will make a really great roommate."

_Hmm_

"Maybe I can get her to buy me some alcohol and cocaine and throw wild parties that include orgies."

_Grunt_

"Wait, what?" Dad looked at me as if I had just grown horns out of my head.

"Maybe next time you will actually pay attention to me when I am talking, Dad!" I giggled and wrapped my arm around his waist.

We had a nice lunch, with minimal conversation, of course. I paid the bill, even though Dad tried to take it from me three times, and we headed back to the dorms.

I stopped in front of my building. I really wanted to avoid crying and I knew I had a better chance of accomplishing that by remaining out in public.

Charlie looked at the sidewalk and dug his toe into the concrete. He lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "I know you probably don't want your dad to go all mushy on you, so I will try to just hug you quickly and go. I'm sure gonna miss you, Bells. Keep your grades up. I know you can do this. I have faith in you. Be responsible. Please call me if you _ever_ need me. No matter what the time…I…uh….I love you, Bells." His voice cracked in the end.

I leapt forward and wrapped my arms around him. That was the most my dad had said to me all in one sitting since…well, I didn't know when.

"Oh, Dad! I love you so much! I'll check in with you at least once a week. I'm gonna email you…you remember how to check your emails, right? I put a note card by the computer to help you remember your password and login information. I'll keep you updated. I sure am going to miss you, Dad." I kissed his cheek, "I really love you Dad. Thank you so much for…just for everything!"

Tears started to form in my eyes and I really didn't want to drag this out. I was a sucker for a man crying, and I would probably go right back to Washington with him if I would see him cry. I squeezed him one more time and ran to my room. I didn't look back for fear of what I would see on his face.

_This was it…the first day of the rest of my life._

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><p><em>August 20, 2009<em>

I was finally unpacking my last box—my books—when I came across an envelope with my name written in chicken scratch. _Dad._

I opened the envelope and began reading the letter.

_Bells,_

_I had to put this in your final box because I knew you wouldn't accept it. But now you have no choice. The guys at the station and the families on the Rez pitched in to help out with your college living expenses. You can't send it back—it's a money order with your name on it. Please accept it from everyone who loves you. We want your first year to be as stress-free as possible. Enjoy your independence. Buy yourself something nice._

_We love you,_

_Dad and the gang_

I was put off by the fact that these people, who were barely above poverty themselves, actually gave me money to splurge with. Dad knew I had saved enough working at Newton's to supply all of my necessities for the first semester and I had planned on getting a part-time job to add to it for the following semester.

I pulled out the money order and quite literally fell out of my computer chair. _Five thousand dollars!_

I grabbed my phone and dialed Dad's cell.

He answered on the second ring, "I thought for sure you would have found it last night. You didn't fully unpack? That's unusual for you."

"Cut the crap, Dad. How could you let them do this? They can't afford it, Dad, and neither can you. I know you put money in on it, too, don't try to tell me you didn't. I can't accept this." Yes, I was whining like a bratty three-year-old, but I just couldn't fathom taking money knowing they needed it just as much as I did…probably more since I didn't exactly have bills.

"You have no choice, Bells. I told you in the letter. It is a money order, you have to accept it. I knew if it was a check you would tear it up or _conveniently_ lose it, but with a money order the money has already been spent and I don't think even _you_ would throw away five grand. Just take it, Bells. Everyone was very excited to help you out. They all love you and have watched you grow up…you are like _their_ little girl. Don't make this difficult, Bells, please." He was begging me. Charlie Swan didn't beg.

I huffed, "Fine…but I don't like it. Tell everyone I said 'thanks,' and please don't tell them I was being pissy about it, okay?" I giggled, knowing darn good and well, he would go straight and tell everyone my reaction. "I love you, Dad, and thank you. I think I'm gonna get that MacBook I had wanted to save up for. I will send you an email from it after I buy it, okay? G'night, Dad."

"'Night, Bells. I love you. Buy yourself a new outfit, too. Take a picture of yourself all dolled up and send it to us." He chuckled and we ended the call.

Once I accepted it, I started to get excited about the prospect of going out to spend money on items I had been wanting for quite some time. The MacBook, a cell phone upgrade—an iPhone would be nice – and I really wanted one of those dorm-size refrigerators. This was turning out to be a good thing after all.

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><p><em>August 23, 2009<em>

I had already made my purchase at Best Buy. I went all out on the Mac. I had never had a brand new computer before, let alone a laptop, so I decked that sucker out. I was a bit proud of how thrifty I was and yet still able to come away with a top-of-the-line piece of equipment. I also upgraded to an iPhone while I was there.

_This is going to be a good year._

I decided to do as my dad said and I stopped to buy some new clothes. Not being one to get 'dolled up' as he so anciently put it, I preferred to get sophisticated clothing, but casual as well. It should be okay to wear to class and also look nice if I decided to go out to a nice restaurant. I managed to come away with five very nice, conservative outfits and three of my favorite kinds—tattered jeans, hoodie, t-shirt, and Chucks. I was quite pleased with myself.

To complete the ensemble, I stopped at the salon and had my first ever manicure and decided to finally change my hair. I had always had hair to my waist, but I was turning over a new leaf…a new chapter in my life, as they say. I donated fifteen inches of my dark brown curly hair to Locks of Love and then had a relaxer put in. I was blessed with candlestick curls all over my head, but I was ready to try straight hair for a while…curls were _not_ a wake-up-and-go hairdo.

When all was said and done, I looked totally different, but pretty darn good, at least I think so.

Before I hopped into bed that evening, I made myself a note to stop at the bank and deposit the twenty-five hundred dollars I had left.

_Yes, this is definitely going to be a good year._

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><p><em>August 24, 2009—First day of classes<em>

I was never late. Never. You could set your watch by me. And here I was, two minutes before class…lost. I couldn't find the stupid Literature room. I had been up and down building three at least five times. This idiotic map that was smudged with barely legible letters didn't help me out one bit. I huffed, dropped my bag, and leaned against the wall, bending forward and placing my hands on my knees. I was muttering to myself so I didn't hear when someone approached.

"Need some help?"

I was startled by the sexiest voice to ever reach my ears. My head jerked up and saw the face that went along with that sweet sound, and I nearly lost my breath right then and there. The male specimen that stood before me was absolutely magnificent. _They don't grow 'em like that back in Forks._

I realized I was gaping so I quickly shut my mouth. "Uh..hi…um…uh…I uh.." Nice. I had the brains to get into Harvard and yet I couldn't even put words together to form a sentence.

His emerald eyes twinkled and he slowly licked his full, gorgeous, kissable lips before he snickered softly and said, "Are you having a hard time finding a class? This place is very confusing, and the maps they give out are ancient. Which room are you looking for? I can probably help you. I came a week early in order to memorize the campus." _Lord, have mercy._

I blinked way too many times to not appear like a deranged lunatic and swallowed loudly. "Uh, three…um three…uh," I looked down at my schedule because, well, honestly, I couldn't think of anything except running my fingers through his messy head of golden auburn hair. My fingers were literally twitching. I had _never_ fantasized about hair before…heck, I didn't believe I had fantasized about anything before. Yes, I was boring, I knew this. Did you think I was this smart naturally? Anyway, I had to get it together, this was quite pathetic. I took a deep breath, "Three-oh-four," I said, keeping my eyes on my paper in order to remain coherent.

"Ah, you have Professor Denali, same as I do." He grinned and picked up my messenger bag, which I had dropped beside me on the floor. "Come on, I'll show you the way."

He turned around and sweet Jesus, the back was almost as nice as the front – it just lacked the sexy smile and eyes. _I am in so much trouble._

I followed him to our Lit class, and once we stepped inside I realized that the room was almost full. There weren't many seats left, but two were conveniently side by side in the back of the room. He didn't even seem to think about it, he walked toward the seats and paused to see which desk I would choose.

I didn't look at his face, but quickly smiled and sat in the seat on the right. He handed me my bag and sat in the other seat. He scooted closer to me and my palms started to sweat.

"I'm Edward, by the way. Edward Cullen." He reached his hand out and I shook it softly, hoping he couldn't feel the perspiration that had gathered.

"Um…Bella," I gulped, "Swan. Thank you for your help, Edward. It was really…sweet." I prayed I wasn't blushing, but I doubted it was working; I always blushed.

"It's very nice to meet you, Umbella," Edward smirked, and continued "and, it was no problem. I couldn't let you wander aimlessly around the halls." His mouth tipped to one side and he chuckled.

We weren't able to speak again for the next hour and a half because Prof. Denali decided to take the entire time to go over our syllabus and his expectations for everyone in his class, along with the required readings and several suggested readings as well. I rolled my eyes since nearly everything on his list was something I had read before I turned fifteen. _This_ was why I wished it had been possible to skip Intro to American Lit – this class was going to bore me to tears.

Class was winding down and Edward started fidgeting with his notebook. I glanced over at him and he quickly lowered his head and started tapping his pencil on his desk. I noticed him swallow a few times, because, yes, I was fixated with his neck…and his chin…and his nose…and his ears…and his…anyway. He acted nervous and I couldn't figure out why. He had been so friendly at the beginning of class, even possibly outgoing, and now he was behaving strangely.

He began gathering his things and placing them in his bag. I noticed he had begun bouncing his knee and his breath appeared to be shallower.

Class was dismissed and suddenly I wasn't sure how to react towards Edward. He shifted slightly, to face me, but didn't meet my gaze. "It was…uh, it was very nice to meet you Bella. Um…enjoy your afternoon." He then rushed out of the room, leaving me standing there in shock. _What just happened?_

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><p><em><strong>Thank you so much for reading! I'm not going to beg for reviews, but I have 4 more chapters written and I just might be tempted to give a teaser of the next chapter for a review <strong>***wink***_


	2. Chapter 2

I'd like to thank my LC – Rags, Allysue08, Spellboundagain, Alitriona, and Shereebedee. You guys make this story post-worthy :)

I'd also like to thank WhatObsession17 for helping me come up with the sexy glasses. We googled for hours, so I owe a lot to her! Thanks bb!

As usual, I am only leasing these guys.

*Btw, this story will only be from BPOV*

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><p><strong>What's in a brain?<strong>

_August 25, 2009_

My alarm went off, so I hit the snooze button and buried my face in my pillow. I didn't sleep well the night before because all I could think about was what had happened earlier in Lit between Edward and me. What exactly _had_ happened? He had been so sweet in the hall. He took my bag for me and showed me to class. He smiled and introduced himself. Everything seemed fine. I thought I might have found a new friend – and on the first day! _Go me!_

But apparently I was wrong. I couldn't figure out what I had done. Whatever it was, it seemed like I repulsed Edward. Even though this wasn't the first time someone had blatantly disregarded me, it hurt more than it ever had before. Maybe because for the first time in my life, I wasn't perceived as _Geekella_. Maybe, just maybe, because I thought this gorgeous man could possibly be interested in me. Maybe I was delusional.

My alarm blasted again, so I reached over and shut it off. I growled and pulled the pillow from my face. Angela was sitting at her desk and giggling. "Good morning, Sunshine. Rough night?"

"You have no idea, Angela. And what makes it worse is the fact that I have…" I looked at my clock and grumbled, "less than thirty minutes to get to my torture class, better known as Physiology."

Yes, my father might have referred to me as a 'genius', but my intelligence shouldn't be mistaken for enthusiasm, because anything related to science was pure and utter torture for me. My brain just didn't like science, no matter how hard I tried.

I dressed quickly and ran to the coffee shop. There was no way I could sit through a somnolent class after having been sleep deprived already without the aid of massive amounts of caffeine.

I glanced at my phone and realized I had three minutes to get to class and I was still a good five minutes from the building. _This year is not starting well for me._

I opened the classroom door and tried to quietly make my way to a seat when I realized that that was an impossible task. The door was at the front of the room – _just my luck_ – and the room was packed. There was one measly seat left and it just so happened to be in the far back corner _opposite_ of the door I was walking through. _So much for going unnoticed_.

I kept my head down, not just in order to avoid eye contact, but also to watch my ever clumsy feet, and shuffled quickly to the back of the room. I found my seat and opened my bag to retrieve my books. Once I was situated, I realized the room was completely quiet. I looked around and noticed everyone was staring at me – including the professor.

"Miss Swan, I presume?" she asked pretentiously.

Great…it seems Professor Stanley wasn't a very patient _or friendly_ professor.

"Uh, yes, ma'am, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

As I went to lower my eyes from her gaze, I was distracted by a head of messy bronze hair. Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew it was Edward. He had the most unique hair I had ever seen. I willed him to look at me, but he never did.

The class went just as I had anticipated; boring and dull. It didn't help much that Professor Stanley had an annoyingly nasal voice and spoke monotonously. _Why can't she teach a class that I enjoy? WHY? Oh, because the world hates me…_

When class ended, I gathered my things slowly in order to be the last person out of the room. I really didn't want to come face to face with Edward just to be rejected yet again. Well, I guess I wasn't exactly _rejected_ last time, but it sure felt like it.

As I zipped my bag, I looked up and saw him standing beside his desk, with his hand in his hair. He had his back to me, but he was completely still. I saw his shoulders rise with a deep breath and he sighed before he slowly walked toward the door. Just as he walked through the doorway, he glanced at me, but it was so quickly that I thought I might have imagined it.

Lucky for me, I had two more classes that day – both were Edward-free zones – so I was preoccupied enough to keep my mind off him. No, that wasn't true. I was distracted enough so that I managed to keep my thoughts away from Edward for a majority of the time. _What am I saying?_ I couldn't concentrate on anything _but_ Edward. I needed to get him out of my head. This wasn't at all like me. I never had a hard time focusing. I had never _ever_ been obsessed with a boy before. Of course, part of that might have been the fact that there hadn't been a single noteworthy male specimen in Forks to garner my obsession.

I pulled out my cell and called Angela to see if she wanted something from the deli before I headed back to the dorm. We settled on ham and cheese croissants and an order of steak fries to share.

After the two of us traded stories about our second day in class (of course I left out the part about Edward), Angela settled in at her desk to respond to emails. I curled up on my bed with a worn copy of _Gone with the Wind_, knowing darn good and well I wouldn't actually be reading it. Sure enough, one paragraph in, and my mind couldn't concentrate on Scarlett…no, Scarlett made me think of red. Red made me think of green. Green made me think of Edward. _Of course._

After an hour of reading the same two paragraphs over and over again, I finally decided to just try to go to sleep. I took two Tylenol PMs for good measure and turned toward the wall. It wasn't long before I managed to pass out.

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><p><em>August 26, 2009<em>

I walked into Lit fifteen minutes early in order to avoid the decision of where to sit. I didn't want to come into class and be forced to choose whether or not to sit beside Edward. I didn't want to assume anything about our seating arrangement. I needed to leave the choice up to him, and I really doubted that he would choose to sit beside me yet again.

I sat in the same seat and began to unload my bag. I heard the door open and shut and I just assumed it was Prof. Denali, so I continued to root through my things, looking for my favorite pen. Several seconds later, I felt, rather than saw, someone sit in the seat beside me. I glanced up to see Edward sitting there timidly. He had his hands in his lap and was staring at his fingers. _Well, at least he still sat beside me, that's a good thing, right?_

I took a moment to gawk at Edward. Yes, I was thoroughly gawking. I wasn't about to deny that. The reason for this was that Edward was wearing a pair of gunmetal Burberry glasses and looked sexy as all get out. He was wearing another button-down, much like he had before, but this time in navy blue, which oddly enough made his green eyes even more alluring. And he topped off his outfit with black denim acid wash button-fly jeans. Had I mentioned how gorgeous this man was?

Edward looked over, noticing me staring – gaping actually – and half grinned at me. He took a deep breath and spoke softly, "Good morning, Bella. How are you today?" He was fidgeting again and wouldn't make eye contact.

"So…uh, you aren't going to avoid me today?" _Crap! I hadn't planned on blurting that out._

Edward flinched, "Yeah, about that…I'm really sorry for rushing off the other day, I was…well, I had…I was in a hurry." _I don't think so…_

"Riiiight…you were in a hurry? Okay." I figured I should let it go, even though I didn't believe him for a second. I didn't want to push away the only friend I had so far, other than Angela. _Is he even my friend, yet?_ "Anyway, I'm doing fine. I didn't sleep well last night, but I pumped myself full of caffeine before class, so I should be good for a while." I smiled. "How about you?"

Edward licked his lips and I had a sudden urge to lick them myself. _Sheesh!_ "Well, I'm better now…" he trailed off. _Now? As opposed to when?_

"As opposed to when?" _Darn my brain filter…apparently it hasn't woken up yet!_

Edward chuckled humorlessly and responded, "I have…well…I have been feeling really crappy since I walked out abruptly on Monday…and I feel…better now that I am able to speak to you again. I feel bad, and I would like to apologize." He swallowed and looked up at me. "Would you…um…maybe want to grab a bite to eat after class?" Edward looked back down to his desk and said, "I mean…I understand if you would rather not, I just, well…I'd like to try to make it up to you." Edward was blushing profusely.

I smiled a bit too widely to appear nonchalant and quietly said, "I'd like that, Edward."

His eyes widened and he finally looked into my eyes and grinned. "Really? Okay…cool."

The room started to fill with other students so Edward and I weren't able to continue talking. I was pretty much on an Edward-induced high for the rest of class and missed nearly everything Prof. Denali said. When I realized everyone was shifting in their seats to pack up and leave, I started to close my notebook and noticed what I had been doodling during class. I nervously glanced over at Edward to make sure he hadn't seen. He didn't seem affected, so hopefully this meant he hadn't. There was no way I could have gone to lunch with him if he had seen that page.

Class was then dismissed and when I looked at Edward he was already standing beside my desk and grinning. "Shall we?"

I stood and smiled as well. "Absolutely!" As I lifted my bag to my shoulder, Edward reached out and grabbed it, shrugging just before slipping it over his shoulder along with his. I rolled my eyes and began walking toward the door giggling.

I followed Edward in a very awkward silence to the nearby deli. I desperately wanted to start up a conversation, but I had no clue how to begin. Did I ever mention that I had never been alone with a guy before? Yeah…not many guys in Forks had wanted to be seen with _Geekella_, so I hadn't ever had an opportunity to date. But right then I was really wishing I had at least _some_ experience in small talk.

We placed our order and had a seat at a nearby table. I cleared my throat and started to say something, anything, but Edward beat me to it, thank God.

"So, Umbella, where are you from?" Edward smirked as he drew out the nickname he used.

"Oh, so is this what you plan to call me now?" I quirked an eyebrow.

Edward shrugged one shoulder and scrunched his lips as if he was thinking, then nodded with a smile.

I laughed, "Alrighty then. So, I grew up in a small town in Washington. I doubt you have heard of it. There are like five people who live there. Anyway, since I was always bored, I read…a whole lot. The more I read, the smarter I got. The smarter I got, the less friends I had. The fewer friends I had, the more I read. So in essence, it was a never-ending circle. However, I'm fine with that. I've always been a bit of a loner, like my dad, I guess. I'm quite happy with how things turned out. I didn't have the normal teenage distractions in high school, so my grades never faltered and I was able to reach my goals…above them actually." _Holy cow…ramble much?_

Luckily for me, Edward seemed to be rather interested in my odd ramblings. He had been smiling at me the whole time. "Try me."

_Excuse me? Try what?_

"Excuse me? T-t-try what?" Apparently my filter wasn't coming back anytime soon. This could be bad…very, very bad. My heart rate had risen to unhealthy measures and I was pretty sure my mouth was drier than the Serengeti, but my hands were shaking too bad for me to even attempt to take a drink of my soda.

Edward's smile became a smirk and he chuckled lightly, "The town you lived in. Tell me the name. You'd be surprised what I know about the US."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed to do something about my mind going straight to the gutter with this boy. I had never even _thought_ some of the things that were roaming through my mind as of late, let alone actually fantasizing about them like I had been. Maybe I should consider having 'the talk' with Angela. I mean, sure, I had done all of the research on sex and sex-related…eh, _activities_, but I had never had anyone to actually discuss these activities with. What was the norm? What was acceptable? How far did guys go on the first date? These were things I needed to know. But then again, I guess I was kind of jumping the gun with this whole, eh, relationship thing with Edward. Just because he took me out to lunch didn't mean he had planned on going any further with this. Oh, and if I didn't stop the babbling in my head and speak to him soon, his eyebrows were no longer going to reside on his face.

During my internal ramblings, Edward's eyebrows had inched higher and higher into his hairline indicating he was patiently awaiting my elaboration of my hometown. I physically shook my head to shut up my inane thoughts. "Sorry…yeah…um…Forks…that's the town I grew up in."

Edward's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, Forks, Washington. Forks is a city in Clallum County. The population was 3,120 at the 2000 census. It is named after the forks in the nearby Quillayute, Bogachiel, Calawah, and Sol Duc rivers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Forks has a total area of three point one square miles. Forks was officially incorporated on August 28, 1945 following an election of the constituents who would become its first town members. Forks is the home of the nations longest Fourth of July celebration called, 'Forks' Old Fashioned 4th of July.' It is also the birthplace of the Emmy award winning actress Leann Hunley, who has played a recurring role on the long running NBC drama Days of our Lives since 1982." By the time Edward finished his speech, he was smiling proudly and my chin had nearly unhinged itself from my face and dropped into my plate of food which I hadn't touched.

_Wow…I think I'm in love…_

"Wow…I think I'm –" _holy freaking crap, I nearly let that one slip._ "Actually, I am quite impressed. Do you…do that a lot? Just research random towns and memorize their history?" I had finally stopped shaking enough to take a drink of my soda, which was a very good thing, because I didn't think I would be able to speak another word if I didn't get _some_ form of lubricant in my mouth. And there went my mind straight back to the gutter at the thought of lubricant. _Is this what boys deal with on a daily basis? Cause, I don't know how much of this I can handle…_

"Actually, I happened to have a lot of free time on my hands as well in high school, so I spent most of my time researching towns across America that weren't well known. I have…well…a, um…eidetic memory…" He mumbled the last part as if he was ashamed of it. He had broken eye contact with me midway through his sentence, making it obvious how uncomfortable he was admitting this. "That's, um –"

"A photographic memory, yes, I know." I smiled when he looked at me in shock. "Why do you act as if you're ashamed of that?" Okay…that could have come out a bit more tactfully.

"Well…that was one of the things that caused me to have a lot of free time. Most people are put off by that fact. They think I feel superior to them and then…well, no one ever wants me to see anything for fear that I will hold it against them for the rest of their lives or something crazy like that." He snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't hold that against you," I chuckled. "I happen to be a very visual person, myself. Though I may not have a _photographic_ memory, my memory is largely based on visuals. This is why I tend to take an inordinate amount of notes in all of my classes. I tend to remember things as I _see_ them rather than _hear_ them. So, yeah…don't be ashamed of that around me. I think it's rather…cute." I knew I was blushing excessively with that statement, but yet again, my mouth spoke before my brain could silence it.

Edward had gone back to smiling as he took a bite of his sandwich. I took that moment to finally take a bite of mine as well. We ate in silence for a few moments and then I realized he hadn't stated his hometown to me. I swallowed my bite and took a sip of my soda, then cleared my throat.

"So…you didn't tell me where you grew up. Is it top secret? Are you a secret agent for the FBI? CIA?"

We both chuckled and he started explaining, "I actually grew up in Chicago. But just because I lived in a city of two point eight million people, doesn't mean I wasn't any less bored than you were. It seems that I, too, was more of a loner than a people person, which was a good thing because the kids in my schools not only didn't like intelligent kids, they outright despised them. So I learned quite early on that I was my own best friend. I spent all of my free time teaching myself things…some of it useful, some of it impractical, but all of it was knowledge…and, well, I sort of have an addiction to knowledge, I guess you could say." He shrugged and laughed humorlessly.

"I don't believe it. I mean…I never would have thought you would have a hard time with friends. You are so friendly and ha –" _No, no…must not mention how incredibly gorgeous he is._ "Helpful. People in Chicago must lack brain function or something. I can't believe people wouldn't want to be friends with you." I almost reached out and rubbed his hand in a comforting manner, but thought better of that…

"So…we share Physiology and American Lit, but I know nothing else about you. What do you plan to be when you grow up, Umbella?" Edward was grinning his sexy crooked grin again and I nearly lost all coherency.

"Actually, I plan to be a Lit professor. All the time I spent reading books as I grew up gave me an exorbitant appreciation for literature. I guess you could say, 'I never met a book I didn't like'. Sure, there are less than wonderful books out there, but I am thoroughly intrigued by the many different aspects of literature, be it politically incorrect, morally rejected, or nonsensical fluff…I tend to see the best of them all. I am quite the bookworm." I snickered and pushed up my imaginary reading glasses. "So, what about you, Edward? What are your plans?"

"Well, during all of my self-imposed education, I discovered an interest in psychology. I am extremely fascinated with the human psyche and how it works; therefore that is my major. I'm most likely going into forensic psychology as a career."

I totally just saw Edward take over the role of Greg in CSI. My mind may have gone further with that fantasy…like possibly including him in a Star Trek uniform…

The rest of our lunch passed with amiable conversation about school and future plans. I really enjoyed talking with Edward – well, once I regained control of my brain filter, that is.

We parted ways after exchanging email addresses and I may have silently squealed at the prospect of having a permanent form of communication with Edward.

Once I made it into my dorm, I looked down at his email address and literally snorted out loud…and subsequently drooled.

_Closet_Trekkie(at)hotmail(dot)com_

* * *

><p><em>September 10<em>_th__, 2009_

The last few weeks had been filled with many conversations between us. I hadn't had to worry with making the first move, because Edward had emailed me later that night telling me he had enjoyed our lunch together. Of course I replied in agreement. From that point on, Edward and I had emailed each other several times a day and even started texting as well. We had also made a habit of going out to lunch after every Lit class. Much to my dismay, we couldn't go out after Physiology because Edward had a class immediately after.

This morning, as I was getting ready for Lit – I admit I dressed up a bit more for this class than any other – I heard my phone buzz with a text. I grinned, because Edward and Angela were the only ones who would text me, and since Angela happened to be lying in her bed at that very moment, I knew it had to be Edward.

_I'm at the coffee shop, thought I'd pick you up your usual ;) meet you in class._

_Have I said how I think I'm in love?_

Class was uneventful – well, as uneventful as sitting next to Edward could possibly be – and afterwards Edward apologized to me and explained that he had been trying to get an appointment with his Psychology professor and that the only available time was right after our Lit class. I told him I totally understood and we could chat later that evening.

Angela came in around four pm, bouncing on her heels. "Bella, Bella, Bella! How much do you love me? Please, please tell me you love me enough to be my wingman tomorrow?" I already didn't like the sound of this.

"Wingman for what exactly, Angela?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, see…remember me telling you about Ben from my Calculus class?"

Of course I remembered that. That was the night I finally spilled my guts about my lack of experience in all things _male_. Luckily, Angela – who was also inexperienced – had an older sister who loved to flaunt her…um…escapades in front of Angela rather frequently, so she was able to give me quite the rundown that evening. During that time, the both of us discussed, in depth might I add, our objects of affection with each other.

"Yes, I remember…" I didn't like where this was going.

"Well, Ben invited me to his frat party tomorrow night and…well, I can't go without someone else I know being there, Bella. Please, please, please, please go with me! I promise you I will do anything you ask of me! I will do your laundry for a month! Please, Bella! You know I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important to me," she whined.

Angela knew I wasn't a partygoer, however, neither was she. We had acknowledged this from the very beginning because we had both been worried about having a roommate who would interfere with our mediocre life of solitude and quietness. Therefore I knew she was being honest about not asking me if it didn't mean a great deal to her, so reluctantly, I agreed.

"Okay, Angela…but I'm _not_ drinking, so don't even ask!" That was all I needed; to get drunk around a bunch of horny upperclassmen who could take advantage of me and I would never even know who they were.

She held up her hand like Mork from Ork and said, "I swear to not even ask!"

We both giggled and she grabbed me by the shoulders and started spinning around squealing, "Our first frat party! Our first frat party!" _Um…how about 'only' frat party…_

This put a bit of a damper on my mood for the rest of the evening, because I wasn't really looking forward to a party – let alone a frat party.

However, after dinner, my mood lightened a bit when I checked my email and there was a sweet note from Edward.

_Umbella, I am very sorry to have missed lunch with you today. I have to say it makes for a rather dismal outlook on the weekend for me. However, I will patiently wait for Monday when I can see your smiling face once again._

_Sleep well, Bella,_

_Edward_

I was grinning from ear to ear when I emailed him back.

_Edward, You are very sweet, you know that? I hardly think lunch with me makes your weekend less dismal, but it was a sweet thing to say. I, too, will be waiting patiently for our next meeting._

_Sleep well yourself, Edward,_

_Bella_

On that note, I went to bed in much better spirits. Regardless of what the next day held for me, I knew Edward was thinking about me just as I was thinking about him. This helped me to fall asleep quickly and have _very_ nice dreams…even if they weren't exactly rated PG.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! I'll slip you a teaser for a review ;)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

I'd like to thank my LC – Rags, Allysue08, Spellboundagain, Alitriona, and Shereebedee. You guys make this story post-worthy :)

I'd also like to thank WhatObsession17 for helping me come up with the sexy glasses. We googled for hours, so I owe a lot to her! Thanks bb!

As usual, I am only leasing these guys.

*Btw, this story will only be from BPOV*

**What's in a brain?**

_August 25, 2009_

My alarm went off, so I hit the snooze button and buried my face in my pillow. I didn't sleep well the night before because all I could think about was what had happened earlier in Lit between Edward and me. What exactly _had_ happened? He had been so sweet in the hall. He took my bag for me and showed me to class. He smiled and introduced himself. Everything seemed fine. I thought I might have found a new friend – and on the first day! _Go me!_

But apparently I was wrong. I couldn't figure out what I had done. Whatever it was, it seemed like I repulsed Edward. Even though this wasn't the first time someone had blatantly disregarded me, it hurt more than it ever had before. Maybe because for the first time in my life, I wasn't perceived as _Geekella_. Maybe, just maybe, because I thought this gorgeous man could possibly be interested in me. Maybe I was delusional.

My alarm blasted again, so I reached over and shut it off. I growled and pulled the pillow from my face. Angela was sitting at her desk and giggling. "Good morning, Sunshine. Rough night?"

"You have no idea, Angela. And what makes it worse is the fact that I have…" I looked at my clock and grumbled, "less than thirty minutes to get to my torture class, better known as Physiology."

Yes, my father might have referred to me as a 'genius', but my intelligence shouldn't be mistaken for enthusiasm, because anything related to science was pure and utter torture for me. My brain just didn't like science, no matter how hard I tried.

I dressed quickly and ran to the coffee shop. There was no way I could sit through a somnolent class after having been sleep deprived already without the aid of massive amounts of caffeine.

I glanced at my phone and realized I had three minutes to get to class and I was still a good five minutes from the building. _This year is not starting well for me._

I opened the classroom door and tried to quietly make my way to a seat when I realized that that was an impossible task. The door was at the front of the room – _just my luck_ – and the room was packed. There was one measly seat left and it just so happened to be in the far back corner _opposite_ of the door I was walking through. _So much for going unnoticed_.

I kept my head down, not just in order to avoid eye contact, but also to watch my ever clumsy feet, and shuffled quickly to the back of the room. I found my seat and opened my bag to retrieve my books. Once I was situated, I realized the room was completely quiet. I looked around and noticed everyone was staring at me – including the professor.

"Miss Swan, I presume?" she asked pretentiously.

Great…it seems Professor Stanley wasn't a very patient _or friendly_ professor.

"Uh, yes, ma'am, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

As I went to lower my eyes from her gaze, I was distracted by a head of messy bronze hair. Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew it was Edward. He had the most unique hair I had ever seen. I willed him to look at me, but he never did.

The class went just as I had anticipated; boring and dull. It didn't help much that Professor Stanley had an annoyingly nasal voice and spoke monotonously. _Why can't she teach a class that I enjoy? WHY? Oh, because the world hates me…_

When class ended, I gathered my things slowly in order to be the last person out of the room. I really didn't want to come face to face with Edward just to be rejected yet again. Well, I guess I wasn't exactly _rejected_ last time, but it sure felt like it.

As I zipped my bag, I looked up and saw him standing beside his desk, with his hand in his hair. He had his back to me, but he was completely still. I saw his shoulders rise with a deep breath and he sighed before he slowly walked toward the door. Just as he walked through the doorway, he glanced at me, but it was so quickly that I thought I might have imagined it.

Lucky for me, I had two more classes that day – both were Edward-free zones – so I was preoccupied enough to keep my mind off him. No, that wasn't true. I was distracted enough so that I managed to keep my thoughts away from Edward for a majority of the time. _What am I saying?_ I couldn't concentrate on anything _but_ Edward. I needed to get him out of my head. This wasn't at all like me. I never had a hard time focusing. I had never _ever_ been obsessed with a boy before. Of course, part of that might have been the fact that there hadn't been a single noteworthy male specimen in Forks to garner my obsession.

I pulled out my cell and called Angela to see if she wanted something from the deli before I headed back to the dorm. We settled on ham and cheese croissants and an order of steak fries to share.

After the two of us traded stories about our second day in class (of course I left out the part about Edward), Angela settled in at her desk to respond to emails. I curled up on my bed with a worn copy of _Gone with the Wind_, knowing darn good and well I wouldn't actually be reading it. Sure enough, one paragraph in, and my mind couldn't concentrate on Scarlett…no, Scarlett made me think of red. Red made me think of green. Green made me think of Edward. _Of course._

After an hour of reading the same two paragraphs over and over again, I finally decided to just try to go to sleep. I took two Tylenol PMs for good measure and turned toward the wall. It wasn't long before I managed to pass out.

* * *

><p><em>August 26, 2009<em>

I walked into Lit fifteen minutes early in order to avoid the decision of where to sit. I didn't want to come into class and be forced to choose whether or not to sit beside Edward. I didn't want to assume anything about our seating arrangement. I needed to leave the choice up to him, and I really doubted that he would choose to sit beside me yet again.

I sat in the same seat and began to unload my bag. I heard the door open and shut and I just assumed it was Prof. Denali, so I continued to root through my things, looking for my favorite pen. Several seconds later, I felt, rather than saw, someone sit in the seat beside me. I glanced up to see Edward sitting there timidly. He had his hands in his lap and was staring at his fingers. _Well, at least he still sat beside me, that's a good thing, right?_

I took a moment to gawk at Edward. Yes, I was thoroughly gawking. I wasn't about to deny that. The reason for this was that Edward was wearing a pair of gunmetal Burberry glasses and looked sexy as all get out. He was wearing another button-down, much like he had before, but this time in navy blue, which oddly enough made his green eyes even more alluring. And he topped off his outfit with black denim acid wash button-fly jeans. Had I mentioned how gorgeous this man was?

Edward looked over, noticing me staring – gaping actually – and half grinned at me. He took a deep breath and spoke softly, "Good morning, Bella. How are you today?" He was fidgeting again and wouldn't make eye contact.

"So…uh, you aren't going to avoid me today?" _Crap! I hadn't planned on blurting that out._

Edward flinched, "Yeah, about that…I'm really sorry for rushing off the other day, I was…well, I had…I was in a hurry." _I don't think so…_

"Riiiight…you were in a hurry? Okay." I figured I should let it go, even though I didn't believe him for a second. I didn't want to push away the only friend I had so far, other than Angela. _Is he even my friend, yet?_ "Anyway, I'm doing fine. I didn't sleep well last night, but I pumped myself full of caffeine before class, so I should be good for a while." I smiled. "How about you?"

Edward licked his lips and I had a sudden urge to lick them myself. _Sheesh!_ "Well, I'm better now…" he trailed off. _Now? As opposed to when?_

"As opposed to when?" _Darn my brain filter…apparently it hasn't woken up yet!_

Edward chuckled humorlessly and responded, "I have…well…I have been feeling really crappy since I walked out abruptly on Monday…and I feel…better now that I am able to speak to you again. I feel bad, and I would like to apologize." He swallowed and looked up at me. "Would you…um…maybe want to grab a bite to eat after class?" Edward looked back down to his desk and said, "I mean…I understand if you would rather not, I just, well…I'd like to try to make it up to you." Edward was blushing profusely.

I smiled a bit too widely to appear nonchalant and quietly said, "I'd like that, Edward."

His eyes widened and he finally looked into my eyes and grinned. "Really? Okay…cool."

The room started to fill with other students so Edward and I weren't able to continue talking. I was pretty much on an Edward-induced high for the rest of class and missed nearly everything Prof. Denali said. When I realized everyone was shifting in their seats to pack up and leave, I started to close my notebook and noticed what I had been doodling during class. I nervously glanced over at Edward to make sure he hadn't seen. He didn't seem affected, so hopefully this meant he hadn't. There was no way I could have gone to lunch with him if he had seen that page.

Class was then dismissed and when I looked at Edward he was already standing beside my desk and grinning. "Shall we?"

I stood and smiled as well. "Absolutely!" As I lifted my bag to my shoulder, Edward reached out and grabbed it, shrugging just before slipping it over his shoulder along with his. I rolled my eyes and began walking toward the door giggling.

I followed Edward in a very awkward silence to the nearby deli. I desperately wanted to start up a conversation, but I had no clue how to begin. Did I ever mention that I had never been alone with a guy before? Yeah…not many guys in Forks had wanted to be seen with _Geekella_, so I hadn't ever had an opportunity to date. But right then I was really wishing I had at least _some_ experience in small talk.

We placed our order and had a seat at a nearby table. I cleared my throat and started to say something, anything, but Edward beat me to it, thank God.

"So, Umbella, where are you from?" Edward smirked as he drew out the nickname he used.

"Oh, so is this what you plan to call me now?" I quirked an eyebrow.

Edward shrugged one shoulder and scrunched his lips as if he was thinking, then nodded with a smile.

I laughed, "Alrighty then. So, I grew up in a small town in Washington. I doubt you have heard of it. There are like five people who live there. Anyway, since I was always bored, I read…a whole lot. The more I read, the smarter I got. The smarter I got, the less friends I had. The fewer friends I had, the more I read. So in essence, it was a never-ending circle. However, I'm fine with that. I've always been a bit of a loner, like my dad, I guess. I'm quite happy with how things turned out. I didn't have the normal teenage distractions in high school, so my grades never faltered and I was able to reach my goals…above them actually." _Holy cow…ramble much?_

Luckily for me, Edward seemed to be rather interested in my odd ramblings. He had been smiling at me the whole time. "Try me."

_Excuse me? Try what?_

"Excuse me? T-t-try what?" Apparently my filter wasn't coming back anytime soon. This could be bad…very, very bad. My heart rate had risen to unhealthy measures and I was pretty sure my mouth was drier than the Serengeti, but my hands were shaking too bad for me to even attempt to take a drink of my soda.

Edward's smile became a smirk and he chuckled lightly, "The town you lived in. Tell me the name. You'd be surprised what I know about the US."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed to do something about my mind going straight to the gutter with this boy. I had never even _thought_ some of the things that were roaming through my mind as of late, let alone actually fantasizing about them like I had been. Maybe I should consider having 'the talk' with Angela. I mean, sure, I had done all of the research on sex and sex-related…eh, _activities_, but I had never had anyone to actually discuss these activities with. What was the norm? What was acceptable? How far did guys go on the first date? These were things I needed to know. But then again, I guess I was kind of jumping the gun with this whole, eh, relationship thing with Edward. Just because he took me out to lunch didn't mean he had planned on going any further with this. Oh, and if I didn't stop the babbling in my head and speak to him soon, his eyebrows were no longer going to reside on his face.

During my internal ramblings, Edward's eyebrows had inched higher and higher into his hairline indicating he was patiently awaiting my elaboration of my hometown. I physically shook my head to shut up my inane thoughts. "Sorry…yeah…um…Forks…that's the town I grew up in."

Edward's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, Forks, Washington. Forks is a city in Clallum County. The population was 3,120 at the 2000 census. It is named after the forks in the nearby Quillayute, Bogachiel, Calawah, and Sol Duc rivers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Forks has a total area of three point one square miles. Forks was officially incorporated on August 28, 1945 following an election of the constituents who would become its first town members. Forks is the home of the nations longest Fourth of July celebration called, 'Forks' Old Fashioned 4th of July.' It is also the birthplace of the Emmy award winning actress Leann Hunley, who has played a recurring role on the long running NBC drama Days of our Lives since 1982." By the time Edward finished his speech, he was smiling proudly and my chin had nearly unhinged itself from my face and dropped into my plate of food which I hadn't touched.

_Wow…I think I'm in love…_

"Wow…I think I'm –" _holy freaking crap, I nearly let that one slip._ "Actually, I am quite impressed. Do you…do that a lot? Just research random towns and memorize their history?" I had finally stopped shaking enough to take a drink of my soda, which was a very good thing, because I didn't think I would be able to speak another word if I didn't get _some_ form of lubricant in my mouth. And there went my mind straight back to the gutter at the thought of lubricant. _Is this what boys deal with on a daily basis? Cause, I don't know how much of this I can handle…_

"Actually, I happened to have a lot of free time on my hands as well in high school, so I spent most of my time researching towns across America that weren't well known. I have…well…a, um…eidetic memory…" He mumbled the last part as if he was ashamed of it. He had broken eye contact with me midway through his sentence, making it obvious how uncomfortable he was admitting this. "That's, um –"

"A photographic memory, yes, I know." I smiled when he looked at me in shock. "Why do you act as if you're ashamed of that?" Okay…that could have come out a bit more tactfully.

"Well…that was one of the things that caused me to have a lot of free time. Most people are put off by that fact. They think I feel superior to them and then…well, no one ever wants me to see anything for fear that I will hold it against them for the rest of their lives or something crazy like that." He snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't hold that against you," I chuckled. "I happen to be a very visual person, myself. Though I may not have a _photographic_ memory, my memory is largely based on visuals. This is why I tend to take an inordinate amount of notes in all of my classes. I tend to remember things as I _see_ them rather than _hear_ them. So, yeah…don't be ashamed of that around me. I think it's rather…cute." I knew I was blushing excessively with that statement, but yet again, my mouth spoke before my brain could silence it.

Edward had gone back to smiling as he took a bite of his sandwich. I took that moment to finally take a bite of mine as well. We ate in silence for a few moments and then I realized he hadn't stated his hometown to me. I swallowed my bite and took a sip of my soda, then cleared my throat.

"So…you didn't tell me where you grew up. Is it top secret? Are you a secret agent for the FBI? CIA?"

We both chuckled and he started explaining, "I actually grew up in Chicago. But just because I lived in a city of two point eight million people, doesn't mean I wasn't any less bored than you were. It seems that I, too, was more of a loner than a people person, which was a good thing because the kids in my schools not only didn't like intelligent kids, they outright despised them. So I learned quite early on that I was my own best friend. I spent all of my free time teaching myself things…some of it useful, some of it impractical, but all of it was knowledge…and, well, I sort of have an addiction to knowledge, I guess you could say." He shrugged and laughed humorlessly.

"I don't believe it. I mean…I never would have thought you would have a hard time with friends. You are so friendly and ha –" _No, no…must not mention how incredibly gorgeous he is._ "Helpful. People in Chicago must lack brain function or something. I can't believe people wouldn't want to be friends with you." I almost reached out and rubbed his hand in a comforting manner, but thought better of that…

"So…we share Physiology and American Lit, but I know nothing else about you. What do you plan to be when you grow up, Umbella?" Edward was grinning his sexy crooked grin again and I nearly lost all coherency.

"Actually, I plan to be a Lit professor. All the time I spent reading books as I grew up gave me an exorbitant appreciation for literature. I guess you could say, 'I never met a book I didn't like'. Sure, there are less than wonderful books out there, but I am thoroughly intrigued by the many different aspects of literature, be it politically incorrect, morally rejected, or nonsensical fluff…I tend to see the best of them all. I am quite the bookworm." I snickered and pushed up my imaginary reading glasses. "So, what about you, Edward? What are your plans?"

"Well, during all of my self-imposed education, I discovered an interest in psychology. I am extremely fascinated with the human psyche and how it works; therefore that is my major. I'm most likely going into forensic psychology as a career."

I totally just saw Edward take over the role of Greg in CSI. My mind may have gone further with that fantasy…like possibly including him in a Star Trek uniform…

The rest of our lunch passed with amiable conversation about school and future plans. I really enjoyed talking with Edward – well, once I regained control of my brain filter, that is.

We parted ways after exchanging email addresses and I may have silently squealed at the prospect of having a permanent form of communication with Edward.

Once I made it into my dorm, I looked down at his email address and literally snorted out loud…and subsequently drooled.

_Closet_Trekkie(at)hotmail(dot)com_

* * *

><p><em>September 10<em>_th__, 2009_

The last few weeks had been filled with many conversations between us. I hadn't had to worry with making the first move, because Edward had emailed me later that night telling me he had enjoyed our lunch together. Of course I replied in agreement. From that point on, Edward and I had emailed each other several times a day and even started texting as well. We had also made a habit of going out to lunch after every Lit class. Much to my dismay, we couldn't go out after Physiology because Edward had a class immediately after.

This morning, as I was getting ready for Lit – I admit I dressed up a bit more for this class than any other – I heard my phone buzz with a text. I grinned, because Edward and Angela were the only ones who would text me, and since Angela happened to be lying in her bed at that very moment, I knew it had to be Edward.

_I'm at the coffee shop, thought I'd pick you up your usual ;) meet you in class._

_Have I said how I think I'm in love?_

Class was uneventful – well, as uneventful as sitting next to Edward could possibly be – and afterwards Edward apologized to me and explained that he had been trying to get an appointment with his Psychology professor and that the only available time was right after our Lit class. I told him I totally understood and we could chat later that evening.

Angela came in around four pm, bouncing on her heels. "Bella, Bella, Bella! How much do you love me? Please, please tell me you love me enough to be my wingman tomorrow?" I already didn't like the sound of this.

"Wingman for what exactly, Angela?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, see…remember me telling you about Ben from my Calculus class?"

Of course I remembered that. That was the night I finally spilled my guts about my lack of experience in all things _male_. Luckily, Angela – who was also inexperienced – had an older sister who loved to flaunt her…um…escapades in front of Angela rather frequently, so she was able to give me quite the rundown that evening. During that time, the both of us discussed, in depth might I add, our objects of affection with each other.

"Yes, I remember…" I didn't like where this was going.

"Well, Ben invited me to his frat party tomorrow night and…well, I can't go without someone else I know being there, Bella. Please, please, please, please go with me! I promise you I will do anything you ask of me! I will do your laundry for a month! Please, Bella! You know I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important to me," she whined.

Angela knew I wasn't a partygoer, however, neither was she. We had acknowledged this from the very beginning because we had both been worried about having a roommate who would interfere with our mediocre life of solitude and quietness. Therefore I knew she was being honest about not asking me if it didn't mean a great deal to her, so reluctantly, I agreed.

"Okay, Angela…but I'm _not_ drinking, so don't even ask!" That was all I needed; to get drunk around a bunch of horny upperclassmen who could take advantage of me and I would never even know who they were.

She held up her hand like Mork from Ork and said, "I swear to not even ask!"

We both giggled and she grabbed me by the shoulders and started spinning around squealing, "Our first frat party! Our first frat party!" _Um…how about 'only' frat party…_

This put a bit of a damper on my mood for the rest of the evening, because I wasn't really looking forward to a party – let alone a frat party.

However, after dinner, my mood lightened a bit when I checked my email and there was a sweet note from Edward.

_Umbella, I am very sorry to have missed lunch with you today. I have to say it makes for a rather dismal outlook on the weekend for me. However, I will patiently wait for Monday when I can see your smiling face once again._

_Sleep well, Bella,_

_Edward_

I was grinning from ear to ear when I emailed him back.

_Edward, You are very sweet, you know that? I hardly think lunch with me makes your weekend less dismal, but it was a sweet thing to say. I, too, will be waiting patiently for our next meeting._

_Sleep well yourself, Edward,_

_Bella_

On that note, I went to bed in much better spirits. Regardless of what the next day held for me, I knew Edward was thinking about me just as I was thinking about him. This helped me to fall asleep quickly and have _very_ nice dreams…even if they weren't exactly rated PG.

**Thanks for reading! I'll slip you a teaser for a review ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

Ginormous thanks to my LC – Alitriona/Eila, Allysue08, Rags88, Shereebedee, Spellboundagain, and Whatobsession17! You guys turn this crap into something worth reading! I heart you!

I'm still just leasing. I'm glad they lease for free, 'cause I'm broke!

I have a cute little song in this chapter that Bella blasts for Angela. You can check it out on my profile.

**Bored and Lonely Weekend**

_September 12, 2009_

I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a bus and then thrown in front of a train and then dropped from the Empire State Building. And to think, I hadn't touched a drop of alcohol the night before.

As I was gathering my things for a shower, I noticed I had missed a text on my phone. I had to admit that when I noticed it was from Edward I was both elated and a nervous wreck. I held my phone for a good three minutes debating on whether or not I really wanted to see what he had texted me after last night. Finally, I just bit the bullet and opened it.

_I'm starting to hate weekends. I'm bored and lonely. I miss our convos :( _

Okay, that was so far from what I had been expecting from him. First of all, I couldn't understand why he was already bored and lonely. I had noticed his text was sent at 6:45 in the freaking morning! Second of all…_how in the heck was he up at 6:45 after the night he'd had before? _

Apparently he didn't remember a thing from the night before because he was acting as if everything was just fine and dandy. My stomach twisted with thoughts of what else he might have done and forgotten. Clearing my head from those mental images, I started texting him back.

_I miss our convos, too. I am curious, though. How were you up so early this morning?_

A mere sixty seconds later, he responded.

_I get up by six every single morning, no matter when I go to bed. Lack of sleep doesn't bother me :)_

I grumbled to myself, "Evidently hangovers don't either."

I sent him a message saying I needed to hop in the shower and grab some breakfast, but I would text him once I was finished. I dropped my phone on my pillow and walked to the end of the hall to shower.

I turned the dial as high as I could stand it and just stood under the steaming hot stream as the water pelted against my aching muscles. I replayed the events from the previous evening repeatedly in my head until I started getting a stress headache. I had never had so much attention aimed at me in my entire life. I must say, I was not at all comfortable with it. And if I'd never see Edward under the influence again, it would be too soon. He was so incredibly out of character when he was drinking – not that he wasn't insanely hot, but he was just extremely…off. He wasn't the sweet, modest, reserved Edward I had grown to, well, like a whole freaking lot.

The water was starting to cool, alerting me that I needed to finish up, so I lathered and rinsed quickly, bypassing shaving my legs since I never wore shorts anyway, and turned off the water. I was drying off when I heard some girls walk into the room, giggling.

"I know! He is so hot! I wonder why he disappeared last night…I was totally gonna ask him if he wanted to do body shots on me," one girl said through her giggles.

"I don't know. I saw that skank from the bathroom talking to him just before he stormed out. She probably was putting the moves on him and he got sick thinking about seeing her naked," another girl cackled.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm sure he will be at plenty more parties and you will have your chance to have him dip his tongue in your belly button," a third girl snickered. "I just wish one of us had a class with him. I don't even know his name!"

I took my time drying off and getting dressed, in hopes of avoiding a face-to-face with Body Shot Girl. Obviously, they were referring to _me_ as the 'skank from the bathroom', therefore I was pretty sure a confrontation with them would end up ugly.

I heard them clear out and I high-tailed it back to my room where Angela had already started cleaning. I began helping her and decided to broach the subject of the party. I hadn't spoken about it the previous night because I was so incredibly agitated and I just wanted to go to bed.

"So…what happened to you last night? I searched for you everywhere. Oh, and by the way, I would like to thank you for ditching me at the door." I grinned at her letting her know I wasn't seriously mad, but I _had_ been rather irritated with her at the time.

"Oh, Bella! I was hoping you wouldn't still be mad at me!" Angela wrapped me in a tight hug. "I found Ben and we sat in the game room just talking. He is so sweet, Bella, I can't wait for you to meet him! He's absolutely perfect…I just adore him." I could almost see little cartoon hearts in her eyes.

"Game room? How in the heck had I missed the game room?" I really thought I'd managed to search the whole place.

"Oh, it's in the basement." She waved her hand as if it was common knowledge. "So, anyway, guess what?" Angela was literally bouncing on her toes as she waited for me to guess.

"Um…Ben promised to never ask you to a party again, so you will never need a quote-unquote 'wingman' again?"

Angela looked dumbfounded for a second and then giggled. "No, silly! Ben asked me to go to a movie and then to dinner with him tonight!"

I smiled sweetly. "Well, I'm happy for you. Really. You enjoy yourself while I do laundry and schoolwork." I elbowed her and chuckled. "Speaking of…do you want me to wash you a load while I do mine today? No sense in you having to make a trip when I am going to be there already." Our dorm had a laundry room in the basement, but it was clear at the far end of the hall from the elevator, as was our room, so we had to trudge our baskets quite a distance when we did our laundry.

"Actually, if you could wash my pink warm ups for me, I would be forever grateful!" She was already digging through her basket in her closet.

"Sure, no problem. Are you sure that's all that you will need? I have more than enough time on my hands today. I'm going to study while I wash clothes, so I can kill two birds with one stone. It doesn't matter how long I have to stay down there."

"Are you sure? I mean…you _reallllly_ don't mind?" She was looking at me as if she didn't believe me.

I laughed, "Just give me your darn laundry, you crazy girl."

I stuffed my hamper with all of my dirty clothes, filled my bookbag with everything I planned to study, and shoved my phone in my pocket. I waved to Angela and wished her good luck on her date and then made my way down to the basement. It was more of a hassle than I had intended. I had Angela's basket on one hip, my other arm was wrapped around my hamper and I had my bookbag hanging on one shoulder. It was quite a feat to walk a straight line – especially with my clumsy feet.

I finally reached the laundry room and loaded up the first washer with Angela's clothes and shut the lid. As I was reaching for my hamper, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out and noticed I had two text messages. Both were from Edward. I was smiling like a loon as I opened the first text.

_You really shouldn't tease a guy like that, you know. Never mention shower to the male species. We are programmed to respond with specific mental images._

I almost dropped my phone when I read that text. I know I blushed twenty shades of red as I thought about Edward picturing me in a shower. Then I grinned even bigger thinking how he may have possibly _liked_ that picture.

The following text made me laugh.

_I'm sorry. That was out of line. I hope you didn't respond just because you were busy and not because you think I'm a pervert. Forgive me?_

I quickly messaged him back.

_Nothing to forgive, silly. I was *showering* and then headed down to the laundry room, books in tow for studying. What are you up to today?_

I had loaded the second washer with my clothes and sat down with my bag before Edward finally responded.

_Are you *trying* to kill me? I'd really like to remain demure around you, Umbella, but you are making that difficult! Lol. anyhoo, I'm just hanging out today._

I bit my lip to keep from squealing. It seems he _did_ like that picture. I contemplated flirting some more or dropping it and seeing where he would take the conversation. Having never been taught the art of flirting, I opted with dropping it.

_I'm sorry. *zips lips* So, you have no schoolwork to do today? Or are you just a rebel and going to skip your assignments this week? :P_

I opened my Physiology book. I decided to get the worst one out of the way first, so I would be less likely to put off the rest of my work. I took out my favorite pen and my already tattered notepad. I spread everything out before me and began turning the pages in my book. My phone buzzed, startling me and I inadvertently slammed my book shut. I totally forgot he would be texting me back. _Excuse me for having a very focused mind…_

I read his text three times before I finally responded. I thought I had to have misread it, but no amount of rereading could change what he said.

_Oh, I did all of my work last night. I just need to study for that Physiology test on Monday. So, slacker, how much work do you have to do? :P_

How in the world had he managed to get all of his schoolwork done before the party? And then I realized he must not have a classes on Fridays. I had never bothered to ask him his schedule before. I had been gone all day on Friday, thanks to Angela, so I hadn't even had time to unload my bag from Thursday.

_Lucky you. And, I'm not a slacker! I was gone all day yesterday, thank you very much :P I have work for 3 classes and studying for Phys. and calc. this weekend._

I started taking notes on my notepad, making sure to keep my phone on my textbook so I would remember he would be texting me back. I had jotted down several words before he replied.

_Ahh, I see. Well, I will let you to it. You can txt me when you are done if you want. Good luck. If you need help, you know how to find me ;)_

I sent a quick reply saying 'thanks, see ya smarty pants ;)' and then went back to my notes.

* * *

><p>I had managed to get all of my studying done for my tests by the time I had our clothes washed, dried and folded. I packed up my stuff and went back to my room. One of my assignments had to be typed up, so I powered up the laptop and grabbed a soda out of my fridge, then flopped down on my bed. I was scrolling through my emails when I noticed one from my dad.<p>

_bells hey how are you? i got your email yesteday thank you how are your classes gong? things are good here. boring as usual. everyone misses you esp me_

_luv dad_

_be good_

It was pretty obvious that my dad wasn't used to typing. He never punctuated or capitalized correctly and he frequently had typos. Nonetheless, I cherished every keystroke he devoted to me. I saved it to my folder labeled 'Dad' and then replied.

_Dad,_

_I see you are learning to email, I'm so proud of you! Now if we could just get you to make a capital letter! Lol. Have I told you lately how much I love you? I really do. I appreciate you coming out of your comfort zone to keep up communication with me. It means a great deal to me. I don't think I tell you enough how much you mean to me, and I'm really sorry for that._

_Classes are really good right now, however, it's a bit early to tell. My roommate, Angela, is great. I really have a lot of fun with her…and before you ask, it is good, clean fun, lol. I have made a couple of new friends. I'm thinking about starting a study group with them._

_I miss you, too, Dad…all of you back home. I'll call you tomorrow when I know you won't be hanging out on the Rez or at the station ;)_

_I luv you, Dad!_

_Bella_

I spent the next couple of hours working on the rest of my schoolwork, then I heated up a slice of pizza which I'd had in the fridge. I put away the clothes I had washed, and grabbed my journal. I hadn't written since Wednesday, so I made a few entries to catch up. Once I had written more than a sufficient amount of nonsense to account for three days, I closed my journal and crawled into bed. It was barely dark outside, but I was exhausted and completely stressed out. I had so many thoughts and feelings that had gone through me over the last few days and pouring them out into my journal just brought them all back to the surface – at that point I was just emotionally drained.

* * *

><p><em>September 13, 2009<em>

I opened my eyes at the buttcrack of dawn, thanks to going to bed so early the night before. I was in the shower within a few minutes of awakening, and back out almost as fast. When I came back to my room, Angela was still sleeping, so I made a brief trip to the grocery.

I grabbed a few things to restock my mini fridge and some breakfast hot pockets for Angela and myself, and then I stopped at the coffee shop on the way back to grab our morning caffeine fix.

Back in our room, Angela was still sleeping soundly. I popped the hot pockets in the microwave and searched for a certain video on youtube. Once I found it, I blared it through my external speakers I had hooked up to my laptop, because let's face it…a laptop doesn't 'blare'.

_**Summer's gone, days spent with the grass and sun**_

_**I don't mind, to pretend I do seems really dumb**_

_**I rise as the morning comes**_

Angela pulled the covers over her head and grumbled something unintelligible. However, once the chorus started playing, she started giggling and uncovered her face.

_**Wake up, it's a beautiful morning**_

_**Feel the sun shining in your eyes**_

_**Wake up it's so beautiful**_

_**For what could be the very last time**_

She raised up to a sitting position, but as the next words were sung she started laughing so hard that she threw her head straight back into her pillow.

_**Twenty-five I don't recall a time I felt this alive So WAKE UP BOO! There's so many things for us to do It's early so take your time**_

I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the middle of the floor to dance with me. We danced like a couple of characters from _The Wiggles. _By the end of the song we were laughing so hard that we were out of breath. We threw ourselves down on her bed and continued laughing heartily for several more minutes.

I quickly jumped up from her bed and ran to the microwave to grab our hot pockets. I had set our coffees beside it, so I grabbed them as well.

Angela thanked me profusely as we began eating. After a few bites she started grinning mischievously. I narrowed my eyes at her, because that look could not be good.

"So, Bella…there's another party this coming weekend, would you –"

I was already shaking my head and raising my hand to stop her, "Absolutely not! I still haven't even told you what I went through at the last party! It was horrible. You have no idea."

She looked at me consolingly. "Well, why don't you tell me about it and maybe it's something we can avoid next time." _There's not gonna __**be**__ a next time…_

"Well, I know you saw that guy that bombarded me at the front door…" She nodded. "Well, what you _didn't_ see, because you ditched me…" I stuck out my tongue and continued, "is that he was basically dry humping me against the wall! I had to slam my head into his nose to get him to back off. It was humiliating."

"Oh, Bella, I had no idea! I am so sorry. I should never have left you. I will _never_ do that again, I swear to you." She smiled sadly.

"Well, I played it off like it was an accident so it didn't appear like I was a tease, when in fact I hadn't even been friendly with him. But, the good news from that incident is that I met Emmett and he seemed like a really great guy."

Angela started wiggling her eyes suggestively. "Really? Soooo…did you give him your number?"

I shook my head and snorted, "No, Angela! I'm not interested in him in that way. I already told you that I am very attracted to Edward. Oh that reminds me! Edward was at the party! Did you see him? He looked delicious! Like, seriously…I almost wanted to eat him!" I fanned myself and smiled. "However, he was acting very strange. I don't think I like him intoxicated. And what's even worse is I don't think he even realizes he saw me that night. He has acted just like everything is just hunky dory…and he stormed out on me that night, so I would think he would at least have apologized. Therefore he has to have forgotten everything about that night, right?"

"Well, from everything you have told me about Edward, I would have to say that yes, he must not remember, because he is way too much of a gentleman to not apologize for that. So, at what point did he actually storm off?"

"Well, it was incredibly odd. I had looked all over for you and even went to the bathroom for a while to hide out. I could have sworn I heard Edward shouting at the door for me to get out, but when I came out he was nowhere to be found. I thought maybe I had imagined him just because I wanted someone to talk to so desperately. So, I looked around for you one more time – and had more advances from drunken perverts – and just as I was getting ready to leave I saw Edward on the other side of the room. I started to walk toward him and he caught sight of me and started looking at me like a carnivorous beast! Oh man, it was so freaking sexy! He continued to look like he wanted to devour me the closer I walked toward him. However, when I stood in front of him and said 'hello' and that I hadn't expected to see him there, he huffed and walked out. I don't get it."

"Maybe he thought you were saying that you had hoped he wasn't there or something, and then it hurt his feelings thinking you didn't want to see him? I don't know. Guys are so hormonal. I think that sometimes they are worse than a girl with PMS." She giggled and shook her head.

"You know…that never crossed my mind. I bet you're right! We have been hanging out a lot lately and if it seemed like I didn't want to run into him at a party, yeah, that might have ticked him off…or at least upset him. So I probably shouldn't bring it up with him then, especially since he obviously doesn't remember," I sighed.

We finished eating our breakfast and turned on some cleaning music and began cleaning the room. We had made a promise to each other that we would do our normal cleaning on a daily basis, but on Sundays, we would deep clean – you know; empty all the trash bins, vacuum the floors, dust, organize our desks – which get entirely out of hand – and clean out our mini fridges.

Once we were finished cleaning, Angela went out to lunch with her sister and I finished up the small amount of schoolwork I had left, and then quickly checked my emails before I called my dad.

He answered on the second ring, "Bells! I'm so glad you called. It's so quiet here. I miss hearing your voice."

_Wow…that was extremely unexpected._

My eyes started to tear up from that admission. I never knew Charlie was such a sentimental guy. "Hey, Dad! I miss hearing your voice, too. I don't have anyone to yell at me and tell me I'm to stop being so immature," I laughed.

"Oh, baloney! I have never told you that you were immature, and you know it. You have always been more mature than most _adults_ I know, let alone teenagers," he chuckled.

"I know, Dad, but I can't be all sappy and tell you that I miss your sweet and kind voice, you know. I have a reputation to uphold here," I huffed jokingly.

"So," Charlie sighed. "I got your email thingy yesterday. Can you tell me what lol means? In all my forty years I have never heard that word before."

I started giggling, and it quickly escalated to a full-out cackle. He had pronounced lol phonetically instead of as individual letters and it sounded ridiculous. I couldn't quit laughing – I even snorted a couple times. "No…it means…" I laughed again. "It means laugh out loud." I was still laughing in between words.

"How does lol mean laugh out loud? That doesn't make sense," he grunted.

_Bless his heart, he takes things so literal._

"L equals laugh, O equals out, L equals loud. L-O-L, laugh out loud," I explained.

He finally got it but he thought it was just silly, so I explained that how would he know I was laughing if I didn't say it. He then, in turn, asked why he would need to know if I was laughing. I decided to drop the subject – it could have gone on all night. I asked him about our friends on the Rez and his buddies at the station. He spent a good twenty minutes talking about everyone. I knew right then and there that he needed someone to talk to more often, so I vowed to call him mid-week as well. As I had mentioned before, Charlie is a man of few words, so twenty minutes of speaking is unheard of from that man.

I went into a bit more detail about my classes and friends I had met and just college life in general. Charlie didn't seem to get the least bit bored by my ramblings. He commented and laughed where appropriate, and asked questions if he was unsure of something. It was probably the longest conversation I had had with him in my entire life.

Eventually, the call was coming to an end, so I said my 'I love you' and 'talk to you soon' and Dad said, "Okay, Bells. I love you, too. Oh and Bells?" _Don't do it, Charlie…_ "Happy birthday! Talk to you soon." He hung up before I could even reprimand him. I just knew he couldn't go without saying it. I was just thankful that he didn't draw it out and make a big deal of it.

My mom used to make a big deal of birthdays and since she wasn't around to do it anymore, I didn't want anyone to. I think for the most part, Dad preferred it that way as well. He was never much of a celebratory kind of guy anyway.

I placed my phone on my desk and began eating an early dinner. I had taken three bites when my phone buzzed with a text message from Edward.

_Umbella, I hope you are having a great Sunday. I look forward to seeing you bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning ;) _

Smiling, I typed back,

_How long are you gonna pick on me for stuttering like a buffoon when we first met? lol & idk about bright eyed and bushy tailed…mornings aren't my forte ;)_

I waited impatiently for him to text back. It took nearly fifteen minutes, which was highly unusual for Edward.

_Is that what you think? That I'm picking on you? I'm sorry. I've never meant it rudely. I think it is an adorable name for you. If it bothers you, I'll stop. :(_

Adorable? Hmm. Now, that could be a good thing or a really bad thing. Kittens are adorable, but I don't want to be like a kitten to Edward. Edward was, however, a bit of a nerd – scratch that, he was more than a bit of a nerd (what can I say? I really like nerds!) – so it's possible that he was trying to be suave somehow by having an adorable nickname for me.

_This boy stuff is way too complicated!_

I finally just said the first thing that popped into my head.

_No, you don't have to stop. I just thought you were poking fun. I don't mind it at all. So…you gonna be bright and bushy as well? If I have to be, so do you! :)_

Less than a minute later he responded with the absolute sweetest thing ever.

_If it means I can see you smiling, then definitely. It will be entirely worth it. ;)_

**A teaser for a review my lovelies.**


	5. Chapter 5

Again, thanks to my LC – Alitriona/Eila, Allysue08, Rags88, Shereebedee, Spellboundagain, and Whatobsession17. I'd also like to add Revrag to the crew. She began helping me this week as well. Although she almost had me quit writing permanently…LOL! Just kidding, she is great, she just likes to tell it like it is and well…it was crap! HA!

I hope my lease doesn't have an expiration date on it, because I'm still not done with these characters.

**Can you say Awk-ward?**

_September 14, 2009_

I fell asleep with a smile on my face after the text from Edward, and still had it upon waking the next morning. I should also mention that I was up a good twenty minutes before my alarm went off. I decided I would take the extra time to make myself look 'bright-eyed and bushy tailed' if that was at all possible. I was never one to wear makeup, but I decided to add a bit of blush and lip gloss to look a little perkier and hopefully make Edward notice.

I took my time getting ready – changing clothes three times – and I still was too early to head to class. I decided to hop on and send Dad a quick email just to let him know I was thinking of him and then I made my way to the coffee shop. I tried to walk slowly, in order to delay my arrival, but I wasn't even remotely accomplishing that.

I still ended up sitting in my seat fifteen minutes before class pulling at the hem of my shirt nervously. Don't ask me why I was nervous, I have no freaking clue.

I was digging through my bag when I heard the door open and I had a sudden sense of déjà vu. I rose up smiling, but my smile faded when I noticed it wasn't Edward; it was Emmett. He saw me, a smile spreading across his face, and he came trudging up the stairs toward me. He plopped right down in Edward's seat.

"Hey there! You really _are_ in my class, huh? Bella, right?" He placed his hand on my shoulder in a friendly manner.

I smiled and nodded. "Yep. Good memory. I'm surprised you remember anything after that party."

He looked shocked. "Shoot, I didn't drink but a couple of beers. I am in charge of keeping order, so I have to stay coherent enough to chaperone any parties, otherwise the IFC will close our fraternity."

That was a surprise. Emmett totally looked like a guy who liked to party. I was really starting to think Emmett was going to be someone who I would enjoy hanging out with. He was such a great guy from what I could tell.

"Ahh, gotcha!" I grinned and held my thumb and forefinger in the shape of a gun while clicking my tongue.

The room started to fill and I was getting nervous because Emmett was still sitting in Edward's seat. He was chatting away about anything and everything and making me laugh repeatedly. In the middle of one of my laughing fests, I looked up and saw Edward entering the room. He looked right at me with a huge grin on his face but when he slid his eyes in the direction of his seat, he froze. Emmett was oblivious and continued to joke rather loudly.

Edward lowered his eyes and slumped his shoulders. It wasn't enough for anyone else to notice, but enough for me to feel like being punched in the gut. My heart broke as I watched him slide into another seat in defeat.

_No! No! NO! This was not supposed to happen!_

The professor came in and the room got quiet. I discreetly pulled out my cell and texted Edward.

_hey! Why are you sitting down there? This is your seat, Emmett would have moved. :(_

I listened to the lecture until I felt my phone buzz.

_That's okay, I didn't want to interrupt, you looked like you were having fun._

Oh no! This could not be happening! He must have thought I wanted Emmett to sit there. I had to remedy this.

_He just planted himself in your seat, I didn't tell him to sit there :( We are still going for coffee, right? Plz say yes! ;)_

I started to get worried when he didn't respond right away until I looked up and he was elaborately answering the professor's question. I then noticed I hadn't been paying attention to the lecture whatsoever. This whole guy/girl nonsense was for the birds. I never had a problem focusing in class before. I take that back – science was hard for me to focus on, but let's just say I was never easily distracted. That was before Edward…and his green eyes…and his gorgeous smile…and his sexy glasses (which I wish he had been wearing right then)…and his…

Luckily my phone buzzed pulling me from my thoughts, which were heading in a very x-rated direction.

_Of course we can go for coffee if you still want to. Are you sure you don't have plans?_

Plans? Oh my God! He thought I was interested in Emmett!

_lol, no, my only plans are coffee breaks with you…they are the highlights of my week ;)_

I took a deep breath contemplating if I really wanted to divulge that much info about how I felt for him. Then I thought that it might not necessarily be giving information about my feelings; I could just be very lame and have no life. Well, _that_ was true, too. Finally, I hit send.

Edward didn't respond via text. He simply turned toward me and gave me a breathtaking smile and nodded. I replied with a grin and a bright red face… _of course._

Once the lecture was over, Emmett turned to me and said, "Well, Bella, it's been fun. I guess I'll see you in class on Thursday."

I smiled. "Sure, Emmett. However, you might want to sit on _this_ side." I motioned to the seat on the opposite side of me, "because you kinda took my friend Edward's seat today." I grinned and giggled, nodding my head toward Edward, who was waiting for me by the door.

"Oh man, I am so sorry! Why didn't you just say something? I feel so bad now." Then he shocked me by belting, "Dude, I didn't mean to intrude. I won't take your seat again, scout's honor."

I laughed when he said, 'scout's honor' because Emmett as a boy scout was epically hilarious.

Edward grinned awkwardly and nodded once.

Emmett patted me on the shoulder and said as softly as his booming voice could go, "I really _am_ sorry about that, Bella. I will sit on the other side next time." He grinned a big toothy grin.

* * *

><p>Edward and I walked to the coffee shop and ordered our cappuccino and croissant as usual. We were discussing our Physiology assignment that was due the following week, so I opened my bag to grab my notebook because I wanted to ask Edward's opinion on something. My notebook snagged on my zipper <em>(stupid twisted spiral piece….ugh!)<em> and it fell out of my hand onto the floor. Just as Edward reached down to retrieve it for me, I noticed on what page it had opened, and I nearly fell out of my chair. It was too late to grab it. The damage had been done. Edward recovered nicely, by quickly closing the book, but I could tell he saw it. His face was blood red and he was biting the insides of his cheeks, trying so hard not to smile.

I had no clue how to come out of this embarrassment unscathed. We could ignore the giant pink elephant in the room, which is what I reallllly wanted to do, or we could laugh it off and continue with our everyday life. Then again, what if he never wanted to speak to me again after seeing that. This was beyond humiliating. Why, oh why, out of a hundred and fifty pages in my notebook did it have to open to the one and only page I didn't want Edward to see? _Because the world hates me._

Edward handed me the notebook and I took it from him with shaking hands. I couldn't look him in the eye, so I had no clue if he was looking at me or not. I was simply waiting for him to run for the hills – or worse, laugh at me and send _me_ running for the hills.

So when he spoke the next words, I was not only surprised, I thought I was hallucinating. Yes, I did tend to think I hallucinate a lot. Had I ever hallucinated for real? No. I would probably die of a heart attack if I ever actually did. Anyway, back to the point; Edward spoke. To me. After seeing…_that._

"So, Bella…" Edward was rolling his fork between his thumb and forefinger nervously. "Can you…I mean, do you…no, _would_ you like to go out with me this weekend?"

You know, I had heard the saying, 'a deer caught in headlights' and I had seen a literal deer caught in headlights, but I would guarantee that that was mild compared to the look I was giving Edward at that very moment. What kind of world is this when you like a guy and really want to have a relationship with him and all it takes for him to pursue said relationship is for him to see a dirty picture you drew…of him. Yes, I drew a dirty picture…well, by my standards…although you 'worldly' people might think it was mild. Call me a prude, call me a goody two-shoes, you can even call me a fuddy-duddy, I don't care. I just don't think a picture of a guy looking over his shoulder at me – in super sexy glasses, by the way – and licking his luscious…um, I mean licking his lips in a very provocative manner while wearing a pair of jeans that looked like they were painted on his firm little behind with the letters 'SE' on one pocket and 'XY' on the other pocket would be considered a clean picture…well, at least not in the PG-rated world of Bella. _Man, I needed to get out more…_

I looked up to see Edward looking over my shoulder making a very strange face. I looked behind me and caught sight of the Body Shot Brigade coming into the coffee shop. Did I say the world hates me? That was an understatement.

The skanks started walking right toward us. Lauren flipped her hair and smiled what I think was supposed to have been seductive…but I will be honest with you…if that was seductive, I don't ever wanna look that way. She pushed her chest forward and leaned down where her chest was almost directly in Edward's face. His eyes bulged and he leaned back. I could smell her overly flowery perfume permeating the air around her and I thought I was going to gag. Edward looked like he was, too, because the poor thing had a look on his face like he just swallowed a worm.

Lauren put her hand on Edward's shoulder. "Hey there. I've seen you around and I have been waiting to run into you again. My name's Lauren."

Edward looked at her like she had just grown horns out of her head…wait, I think she actually _was_ growing horns out of her head. "Um…hello, Laura. I'm Edward, and this is Bella." He pointed directly at me, but she didn't take her eyes off him. He glanced over at me as if he wanted me to say something, but there wasn't a thing I wanted to say to her except, "Get your claws off of my man!" and since that wouldn't be exactly appropriate, I just looked right back at him telling him the ball was in his court.

Lauren leaned down on her elbows so she was almost nose to nose with Edward. He was really looking uncomfortable at this point, but she didn't seem to mind one bit. "Actually, it's Lauren." She smiled sardonically. "So, Edward, I was wondering if you would like to hang out this weekend?"

Edward gulped and blinked quickly a few times. "Uh, well, actually, I have a date this weekend," he nodded toward me – nearly causing my heart to jump right out of my chest – and then looked back at her with a smirk, "so, I'm afraid I will have to pass."

Lauren scoffed and jerked her head toward me nearly snarling, "Her? You have plans with _her_ this weekend?"

One of the BSB behind her said, "As if!"

Edward raised his chin proudly and said, "Yes, yes I do. Now, if you'll excuse us, Laura, we were kind of in the middle of a conversation."

"Whatever!" She snapped into a standing position, giving me a look that put Medusa to shame.

The trio walked off with separate comments; "I can't believe him!" and "What could he _possibly_ see in her?" and the best one was, "She must have brainwashed him." My self-esteem, which had risen to the roof, plummeted straight back to the ground.

Then everything hit me all at once. Edward had just called Lauren _Laura_ – and I knew he hadn't forgetten her name – and then he even went on to tell her he was going out with _ME_ this weekend. He basically asked her to butt out of our conversation. My look of total shock had resurfaced and I was staring open-mouthed again.

Edward quickly started backtracking, "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have assumed…I mean, I just thought with the," he nodded toward my notebook. _Lord, help me now…_ "You know…that you were…I'm sorry. Forget I said anything."

I quickly shook my head, waking up my brain before I missed out on the one thing I had been wanting from the very beginning. "Edward, no! I mean, don't be sorry. I would love to go out with you this weekend." I smiled and finally looked him in the eye. He looked completely shocked.

"Really?" His face lit up like a neon sign.

"Of course," I explained, "I just…you caught me off guard. I have never been asked out before." I mumbled the last part and looked down at my hands in embarrassment. I had to look like a complete freak, being eighteen and never having been asked out on a date before, let alone to have actually _gone_ on one.

Edward reached across the table and placed his hand on mine. "Bella, don't be embarrassed. I…well, I have never actually _asked_ a girl out before, to be honest."

I jerked my head up in surprise. "Are you serious?" He nodded and shrugged one shoulder. "But…but you…you're so…"

He looked at me questioningly. "I'm so what?"

_Me and my big fat mouth…_

I barely spoke above a whisper, "youresogoodlooking." My face was so red that I could feel the heat emanating from it. I sat there for what felt like hours waiting for him to respond and he never did. I was getting more nervous by the second. I finally chanced a glance at him and he looked like a gaping fish. When he noticed I was looking, he closed his mouth, licked his lips and grinned shyly.

"I was thinking the very same thing, Bella. You are more than beautiful, how is it that no one has ever taken advantage of…wait, I don't mean it like that. I mean, how is it possible that you aren't already taken?" Edward began to trace circles on the palm of my hand and I realized he had never let go. We stared into each others eyes for a few minutes while he continued to caress my hand. I could feel the blush rising and was shocked to see Edward's cheeks had a pink tint on them as well.

My phone rang, alerting me of a text, and scared the freaking crap out of me, which caused me to kick Edward in the shin. He 'oomph'ed and bit his upper lip in pain. I immediately started apologizing to which he groaned out a, "Don't worry, it's okay," but it didn't _sound_ okay.

I felt awful. We had been having a moment. You know those kinds of moments you see on television where the guy and the girl just stare at each other and you think they must feel incredibly awkward but neither one of them could look away? Yeah, one of those moments. I can honestly say, even though I was blushing because I couldn't believe Edward was holding my hand, I was not, in any way, feeling awkward. It was…romantic. Wow. I had my first _romantic_ moment. I mentally slapped myself. _It only took eighteen years, you big loser._

"Are you okay, Edward? I am so sorry! So very sorry. I can't believe I did that. Actually, yes I can. My dad could never take me to any important events because I am a fumbling mess when I'm nervous, heck, I'm a fumbling mess when I'm _not_ nervous, who am I kidding? Anyway, he had to miss out on so many activities, and I always felt so bad because my dad was the Chief of Police in Forks and he should be able to go to these events and not have to worry about how his daughter will behave. He shouldn't have to…" It became clear to me that I had just suffered a case of word vomit and I needed to shut up before I pushed him away.

But Edward, bless his heart, was smiling and slowly shaking his head. "I highly doubt that your dad turned down invitations to places that he actually _wanted_ to go to, Bella. He is a father…a father is proud of his daughter no matter what. If he wanted to go to those events, he would have gone, trust me. You weren't the reason for him to stay home. Actually, maybe you were, but not in the way you think. He probably just wanted to spend time with you instead of those strangers who were most likely nothing but a bunch of pompous, pretentious egomaniacs."

My phone began ringing again, but this time it wasn't a text. I glanced down and saw it was my dad. _Speak of the devil._

"Speak of the devil." I grinned at Edward. "Excuse me for just a minute, please." I pushed the talk button and started speaking to my dad. He was having issues with his computer and couldn't figure out how to log into his email. I told him I was with a friend I would call him back as soon as I was back at my room. Then it dawned on me that it was mid-afternoon and he should still be at work.

"Dad? Why are you at home? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Well, yeah…but…I had something I wanted to email you…and I was afraid I would forget if I waited until I got off work, so I stopped by while I had my lunch.

_My dad. Had something. He wanted to email me…seriously?_

"Well, what is it? You can just tell me, then you don't have to worry with your computer until later," I explained.

"No…no, this is something you need to see." I could hear the grin in his voice. My dad was not a jokester. My dad rarely cracked a smile, and yet, my dad was sending me an email that made him grin to think about. I didn't know whether to be elated or petrified.

I told him I would be home in about and hour and I would help him then. We ended the call and I took a drink of my cappuccino.

Edward was looking at me with a grin in his eyes. "What's funny?"

I cocked my head. "Funny? Why do you think something is funny?"

"Well," he started, "you have a look like you are getting ready to laugh about something. It's actually rather captivating."

"What's captivating?" I asked, taken aback.

Edward looked at me with a look of…well, it almost looked like adoration, but that couldn't be right, could it? His eyes were sparkling when he grinned and said, "The look you have when you're getting ready to laugh."

I lowered my eyes. It was obvious my face was going to stay red for the remainder of the lunch with Edward. "Actually, I was just thinking about my dad. I taught him how to use his computer and email so we could communicate while I am away. He acted like it was a horrible idea and he was hesitant to have anything to do with it. However, he just told me he has something he wants to email me and I can't for the life of me imagine what it would be because I could tell he was grinning when he told me. You have to know…my dad rarely smiles. It's not that he is mean or tough, it's just that to be taken seriously as a Chief of Police, you need to be serious all the time…so he has become accustomed to keeping a straight face. It takes a lot to make him smile."

"Well," Edward twisted his mouth to the side, "I bet that will be an interesting email. You'll have to tell me about it."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, so long as it isn't something humiliating for me, because then I will plead the fifth!"

We talked for a few more minutes until he had to go to his next class. We stood up and threw our things away and just as we were about to part ways, Edward stopped. He had his eyebrows pulled together and was biting his lip. He was staring at the ground. I wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but it was evident that he had something on his mind.

I reached out and put my hand on his forearm and said, "I really enjoy our lunches, Edward, and I'm really looking forward to our…" I gulped, because it felt really weird to say the following word, "date this weekend."

Edward's face brightened up and he placed his other hand on mine and said, "I am too, Bella. Honestly. Thank you for accepting my invitation."

If he only knew how much of a pleasure it was for _me_, he would know he didn't need to thank me. Not one single bit.

**Salary is to work as teaser is to review.**


	6. Chapter 6

When I go to thank my LC every week, I feel like a rapper giving a shout out to my gang or something. Cracks me up every freaking time.

Anyhoo, I obvs want to thank them, so: Huge, ginormous hugs and kisses to my LC – Alitriona/Eila, Allysue08, Rags88, Revrag, Shereebedee, Spellboundagain, and WhatObsession17. (Have you noticed they are in alpha order? I can't put them in order of importance because that would just be one jumbled mess of letters and make no sense. LOL!)

I checked, and my lease still isn't up.

Just a bit more fluff before we get to the angst. Hold on tight!

**It's just like lunch…with more food.**

_September 15, 2009_

I was a bundle of nerves on my way to Physiology – well, that's putting it mildly. The previous day, after my lunch with Edward, I had gone home and checked the infamous email my dad had sent to me. I nearly died of embarrassment when I opened it. Evidently, someone from the station had given my dad their old scanner and even taught him how to use it. If that wasn't a big enough shocker, the fact that he had been going through old family photos _was._

Dad had scanned and emailed me a picture from when I was only five years old. It was from a day on the Rez where I was playing with my very best friend growing up, Jacob Black. He and I were only six months apart and we did everything together. And I mean everything. On that particular day we had just been swimming and were sitting in the sand playing. We'd had buckets, shovels, bowls, cups and paintbrushes. Yes, paintbrushes. We liked to swirl the sand with them and make different designs.

My mom had been taking pictures of everyone and everything because she had just gotten a new camera for her birthday. She had come across us playing side by side and zoomed in to take a picture. It wasn't until she pulled the camera away from her face that she realized of what she had just taken a picture.

"Isabella Marie Swan! What do you think you are doing?" she had screamed.

I had jumped and started crying because she had scared me. She had bent down and wrapped her arms around me, apologizing for screaming, but said she really needed to know what I thought I was doing.

"Jake doesn't look like me, Mommy, so I was trying to paint him and make us look alike." I sniffled.

Yes, I had been using a paintbrush on Jacob's…er…_private_ area. Mom and Dad had a good laugh about it afterward and they had put the picture up with the rest of our family photos. They had brought it out every so often just to torture me. Once Mom was gone, I had only seen it once, and that was when Dad tried to find a picture of my Aunt for my cousin to have enlarged for her funeral. That day we ran across the picture and had a bit of a nostalgic moment. We had pushed it aside quickly, because it reminded us of who had taken the picture and we hadn't wanted want to go down that road on that particular day.

So, that would have been fine and dandy, no harm no foul, right? But remember, the world hates me. I had hit reply to tell my dad thanks for the effort of communication and the attempt to humiliate me. I had also congratulated him on learning a new piece of technology. I had signed off and hit send. I had done a quick double take because I could have sworn that the recipient's email was incorrect.

I had opened my sent items folder to see what had happened and I had literally screamed out loud, "OH MY GOD! NO! WHY ME?"

Don't ask me how I did it. It had to have been subconsciously, because I emailed him more than anyone else. I don't know how or why. All I know is that at that very moment I would have given anything for the entire internet to freeze, or well, at least let me take back the email I just sent.

I had typed up another email as fast as my little hands could type. Let me tell you, sixty-nine words per minute was _not_ fast enough! I had written "**URGENT READ NOW!" **as the subject.

_Edward,_

_Hey, I just accidentally forwarded my dad's email to you and I meant to reply to him. Please just ignore it. Please, please, please don't read it!_

_Thanks,_

_Bella_

So there I was, sitting in Physiology, hoping and praying that Edward hadn't opened the email to my dad. I was pretty sure that if he had read the URGENT one first he would have granted my wishes and not read the other one. Again, I was _pretty_ sure. I mean, how well could I really have known the guy already? _Oh please, let him be as honest as he seems!_

As soon as Edward walked into the room, I had my answer. He looked right at me, and when he noticed I was looking back, he immediately averted his eyes and swallowed nervously. He didn't miss a beat as he walked toward me, but I knew by his lack of eye contact he had seen the email. And he was ashamed to admit it.

He sat in his seat – which was now beside me, thanks to a bit of begging and pleading to fellow classmates – and began pulling out his supplies. He had always addressed me, and his lack of doing so was even more evidence.

"There's no sense in trying to hide it, Edward. I can read you like a book. You saw it. I've accepted it. Let's move on." I sighed in defeat…or was it humiliation? Maybe a bit of both.

"I'm sorry, Bella, honest. I opened it as soon as it hit my inbox. I didn't see your warning until it was too late. I swear! You know I would never do that on purpose." Poor guy looked like I was going to bite his head of or something.

"I believe you, Edward. And besides, I can't get mad at _you_, it was my mistake. It's just humiliating, is all."

Edward looked at me comfortingly and said, "Please don't be embarrassed. It was a childhood picture; you can't help what was done as a child." He smiled and added, "But I would love for you to explain to me how you knew about body painting at such a young age."

"Edward! It wasn't like _that_…well, not _exactly_ like that at least. It's just that Jake and I were best friends and I was upset that he looked different than me, so I wanted to paint him to look like me." I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

Edward twisted in his seat so that the lower part of his body was pointed away from me and he looked horrified. "Should I be worried? I mean…do you do that to all of your guy friends?" He then started snickering.

I slapped his arm and spat, "Jerk!" However, I laughed along with him.

* * *

><p><em>September 19, 2009<em>

The rest of the week had gone by uneventful, as usual. Edward and I had spent our coffee times laughing and joking or discussing schoolwork. He didn't bring up the picture again and I was extremely grateful.

The day of my very first date ever, I awoke to a text from Edward.

_This is your last chance to back out. After this, resistance is futile!_

I grinned and quickly texted him back.

_Back out? Never! If Spock were here, he'd say that I was an irrational, illogical human being for going on a mission like this... Sounds like fun!_

Edward responded almost immediately.

_Definitely ;) Pick you up at 7_

The rest of the day had my stomach in knots. Having never been on a date, I wasn't quite sure what was to be expected of me. I mean, I knew the logistics of dates, I **did** watch television, you know. But, I just wasn't sure how to interact with Edward. We had been having friendly meetings for a while and I enjoyed them immensely, but at this point we were heading down the romantic route and that was unknown territory for me.

Angela noticed how nervous I was as I was getting ready later in the day. She grabbed me by the hand and led me to sit on her bed.

"Bella, what's wrong? I can tell you are all kinds of freaked out right now."

I started wringing my hands in my lap and sighed, "I've never done this before, Angela. I don't know how to act. What if I make a fool of myself?"

Angela smiled and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Bella, you have been having lunches with Edward for quite some time now and you have never had any problems, right? This is just like lunch…just with more food!" She giggled. "But seriously, just be yourself. Obviously, Edward likes being around you or he wouldn't have asked you out on a _real_ date. He likes you just the way you are. What more can you ask for? You don't have to be fake. You don't have to try to impress him. You have already done that. Just enjoy yourself."

I leaned my head on her shoulder and let out a deep breath. "I know. It's just…well, do we hold hands? Will we have a goodnight kiss? I have never done _any_ of this before. I really like Edward. A whole freaking lot. I don't want to ruin things."

Angela squeezed my shoulder as she spoke the next words, "You just have to go with the flow on that one, Bella. If you are comfortable holding his hand, then go for it. Yes, usually there is a kiss at the end of the night, but again, this goes along with the 'being comfortable' aspect as well."

"Thanks, Angela. Even though I still have no clue what to expect, but now I'm prepared to expect the unexpected." I giggled.

Angela helped me to get 'dolled up', as my dad would say, since this was the first time in my life I had ever actually attempted to try to be pretty. She helped me pick something simple and yet, amazingly, it helped make me look so much more attractive. I was ready to take on the world. Ok, not really, but I was confident. Ok, well, not really again, but let's say I was as ready as I would ever be. Yeah, that's more like it.

At 6:45 my palms started to sweat. I started pacing and mumbling, "I can't do this," repeatedly.

Angela reassured me that I could, in fact, do that. She then told me to 'man up' and had a bit of a laughing fit about that.

I thought I heard a noise outside of our room, so I opened the door just in time to catch Edward walking away. I thought maybe he was having second thoughts, so I immediately started to worry. However, I then realized he wasn't walking away, he was pacing. As he turned around and quickly glanced at his watch, he noticed me.

"I'm…I was kinda early. I didn't want to be late, and I was too early. I'm sorry. If you're not ready, I can come back." Well, the fact that Edward was apparently as nervous as I was made me feel ten times better.

"Don't be silly, I don't want you to come back. I've been ready for far too long, anyway. I'm more than ready to go." I smiled and grabbed my purse.

Just as I was getting ready to close the door, Angela gave me a 'thumbs up' and winked.

Edward just looked at me for a moment and then smiled. "You look wonderful, Bella. Really," he said, smiling. His smile quickly morphed into a wicked grin and he added, "However, I must apologize." He twisted just enough so that his magnificent bum was within my sight and he nodded towards it. Before I could even ask what that was about he continued with, "I'm fresh out of 'sexy' pants."

"Edward!" I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, blushing and grinning. "Can we just forget that ever happened? Please?" I pleaded.

With a very serious face, he said, "No. Sorry." My mouth dropped opened and he tapped his temple with his forefinger and said, "Photographic memory. It's there forever. For. Ev. Er." He even drew it out with that creepy voice just like Squints did in 'The Sandlot'.

Edward started laughing and took me by the hand, saying, "Let's get out of here, Umbella, I'm starving." And just like that, we were holding hands. It wasn't the least bit awkward. It was comfortable, just like Angela had said. And I was in seventh heaven.

Once we reached the sidewalk outside of the dorm, I slowed, looking at Edward, because we hadn't established our mode of transport yet.

Edward realized my reluctance and turned toward me saying, "I thought we would walk. It's not that far, and it's a beautiful night. Our reservations aren't until 7:30, so we have time, if you are okay with that."

"Of course." I smiled, and we began walking in comfortable silence.

Once we reached the restaurant a few minutes later, Edward led me inside with his hand on the small of my back. It sent shivers up and down my spine, having him touching me in such a romantic manner.

"Cullen," he told the hostess and smiled sweetly at me. I noticed the hostess' eyes widen when she looked up at him. Since he wasn't paying attention, she took a brief moment to check him out from head to toe. Obviously liking what she saw, she bit her lip and then checked the book.

"Table for two. Right this way, please."

As we started toward her, Edward slipped his fingers through mine once again. I couldn't help grinning to myself. I relished the feeling of his touch and I wanted to never let go.

The restaurant wasn't crowded, so when the hostess began leading us to an empty table at the front of the room, Edward stopped her. "Actually, could we please have that booth in the back? It's a bit more private."

I saw a momentary look of disgust on her face, as if my being with Edward was repulsive, but she led us to the back nonetheless.

Edward sat across from me and took his menu from the hostess. She informed us that our server would be with us shortly and retreated back to her station.

I held my menu, but it might as well have been written in Greek because I was completely unable to focus on anything on the page.

A tall, statuesque blonde came to our table smiling and introduced herself. "Hello, I am Rosalie. I will be your server this evening. Can I get you something to drink for starters?"

Edward looked up and smiled politely and ordered a root beer then motioned for me to order. It took me a second to get my bearings and I ordered the same. Once Rosalie disappeared around the corner Edward gave me an odd look.

"Is something wrong, Bella?"

I shook my head and smiled. "No, I just…well, most guys would have gawked at our server, but you paid no mind to her, and I 'm a bit stunned."

Edward opened and closed his mouth several times before he finally spoke softly, "I don't need to look at anyone else. I rather enjoy what I already have in front of me." He smiled in embarrassment and looked down toward his lap.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Only in the Twilight Zone would someone rather look at plain ole Geekella than drop-dead gorgeous Rosalie.

I didn't have time to respond before Rosalie was back giving us our drinks. She took our order – I ordered the first thing on the menu, and had no freaking clue what it was – and whisked away yet again.

Edward leaned forward in a secretive manner and I followed suit without thinking. He whispered, "Besides, I prefer brunettes." He smiled his captivating smile.

I had to have been fifteen shades of red by this point and I could barely breathe. My heart was beating so loudly that I was almost sure he could hear it. I bit my lip and lowered my head. I didn't even know how to respond to that. Luckily, I didn't need to. Edward must have noticed my discomfort because he quickly changed the subject.

"Did you manage to get all of your homework done already or do you have to work some more on it tomorrow? Because, well…I thought that maybe if you needed to, we could work together tomorrow. That is, if you are okay with it."

I smiled brightly. "I'd really like that. I wasn't able to get any work done because I just couldn't concentrate, so I have way too much to do."

For the next few minutes, we discussed the different assignments we each had left to do (it seemed Edward had also been unable to concentrate on his work). Then I decided to bring up something that had been eating at me for weeks.

"Edward, can I ask you something?" I asked him hesitantly.

He grinned and said, "You actually just did."

I rolled my eyes and snorted. "Yeah, you're right, but I'm gonna ask you another one, like it or not." I smiled and continued, "That first day in Lit…why did you act so strange and rush out of the room like that? It was almost as if you couldn't wait to get away from me, and don't try telling me you had someplace to be because I'm not buying it."

"You're right, Bella…wait, not about me wanting to get away from you, I don't mean it like that. I mean, you're right about me not having had someplace to be. It was just…" He took a deep breath and sighed. "I've already told you that I had never asked a girl out, but what I didn't tell you is that I had never _wanted_ to ask a girl out because I had never been attracted to a girl before. Sure, I had seen pretty girls, don't get me wrong, but a pretty face is a dime a dozen. The day I met you…well…you took my breath away." He looked away, but continued to speak, "I didn't know how to react to what I was feeling, and it made me nervous. I was afraid I would make myself look like a fool, so it was best if I just left quickly. I apologize if it made you feel like you had done something wrong, it was quite the opposite actually."

I reached across the table and placed my hand on Edward's and smiled. "Edward, the day I met you, I honestly had the same reactions. I'm not even joking. Why do you think I stumbled on my words so horribly? I am usually much more eloquent, trust me."

Rosalie returned with our order and offered to refill our drinks. We accepted gratefully and began eating our meal. The food was incredible, but to be honest, it could have been mud pies and I would have been oblivious. I was ecstatic just to be seated across from Edward and nothing could have lowered my spirits in that moment. We ate slowly, savoring each bite and having a friendly conversation in between. It was the most enjoyable meal I had ever had and I didn't want it to come to an end, but inevitably, of course, it did.

Edward paid the bill and we exited the restaurant. He reached for my hand once more and pulled me in the opposite direction of my dorm. I didn't ask any questions, because at this point I didn't care what we did or where we went as long as I was with him.

"I hope you don't mind, but I would like to show you something that my sister pointed out to me a few weeks ago. It is awe-inspiring."

"Of course I don't mind, but…I didn't know you had a sister. You never mentioned any siblings. Where does she live?" I questioned.

"Oh, she's a senior here, so you probably don't see her very much. She's also very tiny, so it's easy to overlook her," he laughed, "but don't tell her I told you that. She's like a kitten who thinks it's a tiger...you never tell her she is tiny."

We walked for a few more minutes and then Edward slowed and pulled me off to the side. I looked in the direction he pulled me and gasped in awe. In front of us was the most spectacular display of fireflies dancing on the other side of a rather large pond. Their lights reflected in the water causing the scene to be even more magnificent. I had never seen anything like it.

"Wow, Edward, it's beautiful! I can't believe she found this."

Edward turned toward me and said, "It pales in comparison."

I looked up into his eyes and saw a look I had never seen before. It was a look of determination – as if he was a man on a mission. He glanced down at my lips, and my stomach did flip-flops. _This is it. My first kiss. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap._

Slowly and affectionately, Edward reached forward and placed his hand on my cheek. He stepped closer and bent his head slightly, and I could feel his fingers shaking against my face. He whispered, "Can I kiss you, Bella?"

I was barely able to nod, but I somehow succeeded and no sooner than I did, I felt Edward's lips come in contact with mine. At first they were gentle, soft pecks connecting my lips to his, but it was only a matter of seconds before both of his hands were cupping my face and he was kissing me with a little more force.

I snaked my arms around his waist and slowly trailed my hands up his back. He hummed against my lips and pulled back slightly to take a breath and whisper, "Oh, Bella."

He leaned his forehead against mine and smiled crookedly. "That was so worth waiting for."

I grinned and agreed with a, "Mmhmm."

At that moment, my traitorous body decided to shiver. I'm not sure if it was from a chill or from the magnitude of what had just taken place. Nevertheless, Edward noticed and said, "I better get you back before it gets too cold." He took me by the hand and we walked slowly back toward the dorms. Neither of us felt the need to break the silence with mundane words. The quiet was more than enjoyable.

We stopped in front of my building and Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug, and whispering in my ear, "Can we do this again, soon?"

"Absolutely," I replied a bit too quickly.

Edward pulled back and looked me in the eye. "Can we still study together tomorrow?" I nodded and he smiled. He leaned forward and kissed me gently several times before pulling away reluctantly with a grumble. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow," I said with a grin.

* * *

><p>That night before I went to bed, Edward sent me a text.<p>

_Is not that the nature of men and women - that the pleasure is in the learning of each other?* :) Sleep well, Umbella, see you tomorrow._

*Natira, the High Priestess of Yonada, "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky", stardate 5476.3.

**Do you like teasers? I like reviews. Let's help each other out :)**


	7. Chapter 7

*Pulls out the mic* Yo! The name's….

Just kidding

I told you I feel like a rapper every time I give a shout out to my LC *gigglesnort*

So, to my LC – Alitriona/Eila, Allysue08, Rags88, Revrag, Shereebedee, Spellboundagain, and Whatobsession17 – I love you all! More than you will ever know!

Still leasing.

**Firsts**

_October 5, 2009_

I had no idea what I had been missing. Never before had I envied couples as I watched their gratuitous public displays of affection. I thought it was disgusting and unnecessary. I always scoffed at their audacity.

That was before.

After I had experienced my first kiss, I immediately wanted another…and another…and another. It had been utter euphoria when Edward's lips were connected with mine. That night, I had slept better than I had ever slept in my entire life, completely blissful, with numerous dreams that I wouldn't mind revisiting on a nightly basis.

The day following our first date, we had studied as planned…not so much our schoolwork as each other's lips, but we had, in fact, studied. That first week or so we hadn't ventured any further than chaste, but nonetheless passionate kisses. We had been constantly touching and often caught each other staring with a goofball grin. The fact that all of this had been new for both of us made it all the more substantial in our newfound relationship.

We found ourselves having 'study sessions' on a near daily basis even though we had rarely actually _needed_ to study. We had spent most of the time holding hands and making out. Although, I have to say our 'making out' was not even considered making out until about a week later.

Edward had been kissing me slowly and gently, as he had done so many times before, when he barely slipped his tongue out to touch my lips. It was like a bolt of electricity that shocked me into motion. I had opened my lips and allowed my tongue to come in contact with his and a whole new wave of sensations exploded throughout my body. As our tongues had begun to explore, Edward and I both couldn't hold back the noises that reverberated between us.

I had snaked my hands up to wrap them around Edward's neck and twist his hair through my fingers, which had elicited a moan from him. He had then grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into his lap, without breaking contact. He deepened the kiss and squeezed my sides, pulling me closer. I shifted my hips in response and experienced my first ever contact with Edward's erection. I couldn't stop my mind from thinking – hoping rather – that this wouldn't be my last contact. _Since when did I start thinking such dirty thoughts?_

I hadn't meant to, but I sorta froze, which had caused Edward to pull his head back and avert his eyes.

"Um…" Edward gulped and shifted in his seat, seeming like he was trying to melt into the couch underneath him. "I'm…dang it! I'm sorry." Edward's face had been the darkest shade of red I had ever seen, and he then attempted to lift me off his lap.

I held fast and turned his face to look into his eyes. "Edward. Why are you sorry?" If he had only known the thoughts that had been going on in my head at that very moment, he would have, in no way, apologized for his body's reaction – something he had no control over.

He had closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to my shoulder. "I didn't mean for you to…um…I didn't want to…I shouldn't have…" He grumbled and shook his head against my shoulder.

"It is a normal reaction, Edward, how can you be ashamed of something you have no control over?" I knew I had been blushing from head to toe, but I had wanted him to feel less embarrassed, so I leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "I actually like that I caused this kind of reaction out of you."

He lifted his head and looked me in the eye. "Really? You aren't disgusted with me? I try really hard not to think those kinds of thoughts around you, Bella, but it's extremely difficult. I love the way you smell, the way your lips feel against mine, the feel of your soft skin under my fingertips. All of those things make it nearly impossible to remain chivalrous around you."

I had kissed him gently and pulled back just enough to move my lips against his and said, "I'm sure the thoughts I have been having are very similar to your own, trust me. It's perfectly natural. I mean, we _are_ past the age of puberty, you know…we should have been through this ages ago." I giggled and said, "But it makes me happy to know that I am experiencing this with someone who is equally as inexperienced as I am. It makes it so much more comfortable."

Edward had grinned crookedly and said, "Mmm, that it does." He then connected his lips with mine again.

From that point on, our 'make-out sessions' had been more like making out. However, we had always kept our hands on each other's hips or neck, never roaming to places beyond what would be publicly acceptable…by our standards, at least.

Until today.

We were under 'our tree' – the tree we had found, which was secluded and never occupied by others – studying unnecessarily, _again_, and became sidetracked with kissing, _again_, when Edward pulled us so that we were lying on our backs on the blanket we had brought along. We lay on our sides, kissing with our heads propped on one hand and holding hands with the other. I twisted my foot around Edward's, wanting to touch him in as many places as possible, never getting enough of him.

Edward let go of my hand and cupped my face as he continued to kiss me. We kissed like that for a few minutes and then he slid his hand down to my neck. He traced circles on my collarbone with his thumb and I could feel the goosebumps rise underneath his touch. Slowly, he lowered his hand a bit more, where it was slightly above my breast and I felt my heart rate rise even higher than the unhealthy level it was at already. The pace of his movements was driving me insane and I did something I never thought I would do. I took his hand and placed it directly where I was pretty sure he was intending to go. However, when I placed his hand there, he halted all of his movements, gulped loudly and pulled back to look me questioningly in the eye. I grinned, letting him know I was really okay with it.

That was all the encouragement he needed. He went back to kissing me and groping me, albeit still somewhat cautiously. I scooted closer to him and pushed my knee between his legs, bringing my thigh in contact with the part of Edward I had slowly been becoming acquainted with.

Again, Edward stilled his movements and warned me with a, "Bella…" Of course, I didn't heed his warning and I pulled him back to my mouth to recommence kissing. He groaned against my lips, but didn't stop my actions. I took that as confirmation to resume the movements of my thigh against Edward's…um…yeaah. _Come on, Bella. If you can touch it, you should be able to say it. His…penis._ Boy, did I feel so juvenile at that very moment.

Edward seemed reluctant to allow himself to enjoy the attention I was giving him, however. He stiffened and his kisses became somewhat robotic. I lifted my hand to run my fingers through his hair, attempting to relax him, but it didn't help.

I pulled back slightly and whispered, "Edward, relax. Enjoy. Does it not feel good?" I had seen enough on television and in movies that I was pretty sure it was something that did, in fact, feel good to guys, but by his actions, he coulda fooled me.

He squeezed his eyes and pursed his lips before he mumbled, "You have no idea. I just…it doesn't seem right…_gentlemanly_…for me to behave that way around you, Bella."

"Edward. Look at me." He barely opened his eyes, and only to stare at my shoulder. I ducked down to make eye contact. "I _want_ you to enjoy it, Edward. I've never wanted to do anything like this before I met you, but now…well, I want to make you feel good. Knowing that I am the one making you feel good makes _me_ feel good. Please?"

He took a deep breath and slowly released it, then finally looked me in the eye. He grinned shyly and quietly said, "Okay."

A smile spread across my face that was comparable to that of a kid who was just told he won a trip to Disneyland. Edward blushed, and swallowed hard. I pulled him back into a searing kiss and began moving my leg in between his again. He moaned as he returned to caressing my breast, which in turn caused me to moan right back. This impelled him to be a bit more aggressive with his exploration, but just a bit. He pulled away from my lips and breathlessly kissed my jaw. I could hear him panting as he continued to move his mouth toward my neck.

He kissed my neck and whispered in my ear, "Oh my God, Bella. That feels…uh…oh God." He continued to pant against my neck in between kissing. I grabbed his hip and squeezed hard as I continued to press into his erection with my leg. His breathing was getting shallower and his hand was working faster. He kissed my neck once again and bucked his hips forward, moaning against my skin.

"Uuhhh…Bella…I can't…oh my God…I'm…oh crap!" He tried to stop all movements, but I wouldn't let him. I kept going. I needed this. I wanted him to have his release and for it to be all because of me.

I pulled away enough to see his face and whispered, "Come on, Edward."

He squinted his eyes shut and groaned out, "Ohhhh, ohhh shiiiiit!" _Oh. My. God!_

That was hot on so many freaking levels. The fact that little ole me made a guy cum was un-freaking-believable. The fact that Edward had become so undone, that he used a curse word for the first time ever around me, was astounding. And the face that he made when he came? I will never ever forget that face. His face was sexy on a daily basis, but add the throes of passion into the mix, and holy mother of God, was it the sexiest thing ever!

Edward had slipped his hand around to my back and was rubbing gentle circles as his breath returned to normal as well as his heart rate. He still had his eyes closed – clinched shut actually. I smoothed the wrinkles from his forehead with my fingers and hummed against his cheek just before I kissed it. He pulled me into a hug, resting his forehead on my shoulder.

I tried to lean back to kiss Edward, but he prevented me from separating myself from him. I decided to make due with what I had and kissed his shoulder and then his neck. I felt him swallow just before he spoke, "I can't believe I…" He exhaled loudly. "That was _not_ how I planned for things to go. I'm sorry. I should have been more reserved. It was very selfish of me to allow that. It won't happen again, I promise."

_Oh no, buddy…I don't think so!_

"Edward!" I grabbed a handful of hair and pulled his head back. _Oh come on! I didn't hurt him._ "If anyone was selfish, it was me. I am the one who asked you to let go. I'm the one who wanted to see you come undone. It was me who pursued this route and took control. But I can't honestly say I am sorry. It was totally worth it. In fact, I plan to make _sure_ it will happen again." I gave him a challenging look, daring him to dispute that decision.

He mumbled, "I don't know about that. This is quite disgusting. I need a shower now."

I giggled and apologized, but then told him I was only sorry for the mess, not my actions. He huffed again, but then chuckled and pulled me into a tight squeeze.

"What am I gonna do with you, Umbella? You're going to be the death of me, huh? I have no hope of protecting my virtue around you, do I?" Edward then full-out laughed and kissed me once more before getting to his feet and holding out his hand to pull me up as well. "We _reeeallly_ need to head back. This is starting to dry, and I can't imagine it is going to be a pleasant removal process."

I gathered our things and we began walking back toward the dorms hand-in-hand. Edward was obviously still embarrassed about our…um…activities, but at least he wasn't being all emo about it.

I stopped at the spot where we usually parted ways and Edward pulled me into him. He kissed me passionately and then whispered in my ear, "Thank you, Bella. It may have been embarrassing, but I wouldn't want to experience that with anyone else. Besides…" He pulled back and grinned crookedly. "I slightly enjoyed it." When I raised an eyebrow at him, he twisted his mouth and chuckled. "Ok, more than slightly, but let's drop it at that." His face was fire engine red when he pulled me into a parting kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Edward."

"Tomorrow, Bella."

I seriously skipped all the way back to my room with a goofy grin from ear to ear. I was rather smug about my newfound abilities. I felt like singing, "I've got the power! Hey yeah heh! It's getting', it's getting', it's getting' kinda heavy." _What can I say? I like old school rap._

Later that night, I received a text from Edward that made me blush, giggle, and fan myself, all at once.

_My dearest Bella, today was amazing. I'll never forget it. When can I reciprocate? I'd like to make *you* feel as good as you made me feel :) Sweet dreams!_

How did I want to respond to that? Was I eager for him to reciprocate? Heck-to-the-yeah. Was I a nervous wreck about experiencing _that_ for the first time? Double-heck-to-the-double-yeah. What? I had no friends and was raised by a father…did you honestly think someone taught me how to take care of it myself? Uh, yeah, no. So, I finally decided to approach it honestly.

_I enjoyed today, too. I'll never forget it either. Seeing your face at that moment was wonderful. I'm not sure about reciprocation. I'm nervous & embarrassed._

Well, might as well get it all out there, since he was going to figure it out eventually anyway. A few seconds later, he responded.

_Uh, what do you think *I* was today? Brazen? No. I was mortified, but my girlfriend wanted it, so I acceded to her demands. Now, it's your turn. plz? For me? ;)_

Edward called me his girlfriend. I started bouncing up and down on my bed, giggling like a fruitcake. Angela just looked at me like I was nuts – which I sorta was, I guess. I was ecstatic and oblivious for far too long, because Edward texted me back before I could answer.

_That was inappropriate, I'm sorry. I just thought that maybe you would with me, since, you know, I've been there, too. I'm really sorry._

And then I felt really bad. Here I was doing the happy dance because he called me his girlfriend, and he mistook my lack of response as repulsion. I had to remedy the situation quickly.

_Oh no! I wasn't MIA due to that. In fact, *blush* I was kinda tripping out over what you called me. Did you mean it? Am I your girlfriend? :)_

Sure, we had been making out for a while, and he _did_ let me rub all up on his manhood until he came. But, I still had been unsure of our relationship status, so hearing him – seeing him, rather – call me his girlfriend, had boosted my self-esteem a hundredfold.

He responded extremely fast.

_Of *course* you're my girlfriend! What're you thinking? I only want to be with you. Do you not want me to be your boyfriend? I should have asked first, huh?_

Did I want him to be my boyfriend? Was he freaking kidding me? I would have asked him the very first day I met him, if I wasn't the shyest, most self-conscious girl on the planet.

_I would love to be your girlfriend and in return would love for you to be my boyfriend. :) Do I get to wear your class ring? Your Letterman jacket? *grin*_

I knew he didn't have either one of those, but I needed to make some sort of joke, because it seemed so elementary this whole, "Will you be my girlfriend?" thing. I was starting to wonder if I should check a box next to yes or no. I was an adult for goodness sake. I shouldn't have gotten so flustered over him calling me his girlfriend. But in my defense, I hadn't ever had a boyfriend before, so this was all new territory for me.

_Relationship – The Final Frontier._ Oh geez, I am such a dork.

I had forgotten that I was waiting for Edward to respond, so I dropped my phone when it buzzed with the alert. Angela looked at me and giggled. This was a typical occurrence for me, and it was also typical of Angela to laugh at me. I rolled my eyes and opened the text.

_I actually do have a class ring from my high school. Do you have one? We could be all kinds of cliché and swap rings. It would be awesome! What d'ya say? :)_

I couldn't figure out if he was joking or being serious. Stupid texting and its inability to project sarcasm. I opted to play it safe and just overlook that question for the time being. Maybe when I was standing in front of him I would be able to know if he was kidding.

_Well, my sweet *boyfriend*, I need some zzz's. Even though you can do without beauty sleep, the rest of us aren't so lucky. Cya tomorrow! G'night _

He responded with a simple good night wish and a comment about me not needing beauty sleep, just brain sleep. I laughed, but didn't reply. My eyes were already beginning to cross and I really _did_ need the rest.

I fell asleep quickly and had some incredible dreams.

* * *

><p><em>October 8, 2009<em>

We were sitting in Physiology, holding hands as always, and every time I looked at Edward, he looked away quickly and blushed. He was bouncing his knee and strumming his fingers on the desk with his free hand. Every so often he would run his fingers through his hair and look over at me. I would look back, and the whole process would start again. He had a grin threatening to escape, so his behavior really threw me for a loop.

As soon as class was dismissed, he grabbed my bag and stood up as fast as lightning. I just sat there, still as a statue. He had his hand held out waiting for me to take it and when I didn't, he looked down at me exasperatingly and said, "Well? Are you com…ing?" He immediately bit his lip, holding back a smile and turned away.

"Why are you acting so weird today? Did you forget your Adderall?"

OH. MY. GOD! The look he gave me when I asked that…you would have thought I asked him if he was a drug dealer! I laughed and held up my hands in defense, "I'm joking, Edward! Geez. What a tragedy it would be for you to have an attention disorder," I said sarcastically.

"Stop being childish, Bella, and come on. I want to get…I'm hungry, and I want to get a sandwich." Again with the profuse blushing. Something was up with that man, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

I pursed my lips and blew a breath, shaking my head and getting out of my seat.

"Let's go, Romeo," I said in my best British accent.

Edward chuckled and rolled his eyes. "That's why I love y…hanging out with you, Umbella. You always act like yourself. No withholding of your true personality." He pulled me close to him and continued, "As quirky as your personality may be." He squeezed my shoulder and laughed as he emphasized 'quirky'.

"Psh! As if! You are every bit as quirky as I am Mr. _Eidetic_ Memory."

Edward growled at me. He was always so defensive when I picked on his use of proper terminology for his gift – which he thought was a curse, not a gift. I admit I picked on him all the time. I couldn't help it. I liked to egg him on. He was so darn cute when he was flustered.

We continued the banter all the way to…wait…

I hadn't been paying attention, and we hadn't walked to the deli. No, we were at _our_ tree. There was already a blanket laid out in our normal spot and there was a picnic basket sitting in the grass beside it. _Well, this was new…_

I looked to Edward and he had his brows pulled together and looked deep in thought. Again, he was strumming his fingers, but on his thigh this time.

"Edward?" I started, but he jumped clean out of his skin and looked at me in astonishment. "Are you…okay?" I was seriously worried about him at this point. I mean, yeah, Edward often acted oddly, but this was so completely out of character for him.

He took a big, deep breath and blew it out loudly. "Yes, I'm sorry. I just…have something on my mind and I was distracted. I'm focused now." He smiled brightly and said, "Let's eat. I'm famished!"

I tentatively sat down, taking in the atmosphere around me. Edward still had a slight edge about him, but he appeared much more affable than he had mere minutes before. He sat down beside me, placing one hand on my knee, and reaching for the basket with his other hand.

"I got your favorite. Cheddar Chicken Salad Croissant and a pink lemonade. And…I got us a banana nut muffin to split." He smiled proudly.

_Wow! He really __**did**__ get my favorite!_

"Wow, Edward. Thank you…so much! You just don't even know how much I appreciate this. And the fact that you actually _remember_ my favorites means even more." I squeezed his hand and threaded my fingers between his.

We spent the next few minutes awkwardly eating with the hands we didn't have joined, laughing when we dropped pieces of the filling, but never releasing our grasp. Every once in a while, Edward would reach over and dab my mouth with a napkin and just smile tenderly. It was a very pleasant, romantic lunch.

After we finished with our shared dessert, I helped Edward pack the things back into the basket. As soon as the lid was closed, he pulled me to him and started zealously kissing me. A few minutes into it, he pulled us down into a lying position. He cupped my cheek and deepened the kiss. He moaned when my tongue came in contact with his. I loved his moan so freaking much. It lit a fire in my nether regions and caused my heart to accelerate.

Edward slowly trailed his hand down to my neck, my shoulder, my arm, and then my waist. I was expecting him to go for my breast since we had already crossed that bridge. He didn't, however. He grasped my waist and kissed me more fervently. He pushed forward so that I was lying on my back and his upper body was hovering over me. He placed all of his weight on his left arm and was rubbing circles on my waist with his right. He never stopped kissing me and then began running the fingers of his left hand through my hair while his right hand started lowering. I didn't react until I realized where exactly his hand was lowering to…and then I tensed up.

Edward noticed and removed his lips from mine just enough to whisper, "It's okay, Bella. Just relax. Unless…I mean…I'm not going to force you or anything, but if you let me do this, I promise you will enjoy it. Do you…do you want me to stop?"

I shook my head and he smiled and went back to kissing me. He didn't move his hand again until he felt me relax completely. Then, ever so slowly, he moved his hand to my inner thigh and trailed upward inch by inch until he came in contact with my…uh…_lady bits._ Like an idiot, I jumped when he first made contact, but he snickered and pressed a little harder, and…

_Oh_

_My_

_Freaking_

_God_

_(oops, I'm sorry, God…it's probably not a good idea to use Your name when I am doing something sexual, huh?)_

I thought kissing was amazing. I thought Edward's hand on my breast was magnificent. No, no, I didn't know what I was talking about. Sure, they were wonderful, not gonna lie, but being touched _down there_ and by someone I cared so much about…yeah, it was beyond amazing. It was better than anything I had ever experienced before in my life.

Edward continued to rub as he moved his kisses to my cheek and then my neck and then to my ear, sucking my earlobe in between his lips. That made what he was doing between my legs even more arousing. It felt incredible. I could feel a pressure rising higher and higher and I was squirming, I couldn't help it. I didn't want him to stop, but I didn't know what was happening. I had never felt anything so unbelievable.

He released my earlobe from between his lips and whispered in my ear, "Let go, Bella. Let it go. Cum for me."

And I did. And it was like fireworks went off inside my body, starting from my stomach and exploding throughout my appendages. It was fantastic.

When I opened my eyes, Edward was looking at me with a magnanimous smile. "You're right." I looked at him dubiously. He smiled even bigger, kissed my lips softly, and then said, "Seeing your face in _that moment_ was beyond wonderful."

I chuckled and said, "You were right too, you know?" He then quirked _his_ eyebrow at _me_ and I responded, "It _was_ mortifying, but lucky for me, it's not all disgusting for girls." I smirked before I kissed him once more.

"So, do you want to head back to your room or do you just wanna hang out here for a while?" he asked.

"I definitely prefer hanging out with you to going back to my boring room. And maybe," I wiggled my eyebrows and said, "just maybe I will recompense."

"I don't think so!" Edward laughed. "Do you even _know_ how horrible it was to clean up after that? Sorry, but no."

I trailed my forefinger down his chest to his navel and wiggled my finger before I slid my hand further. The whole time I had a seductive grin – well, at least I hoped it was seductive…I was new to this stuff, you know – and just before I reached the waist of his pants, he grabbed my hand and shook his head.

"I mean it, Isabella." He pulled my hand up to his chest and wrapped his fingers around it.

"Isabella? Oooh…are you trying to sound like my dad? Using my _full_ name and all?" I was still grinning and he started grinning back and then kissed me again.

"No funny business today. I did this for you. Maybe some other time…when we are in a more 'clean up friendly' environment, but as for now, when I have to go back to a dorm-full of guys and try to inconspicuously clean semen from my underwear…no, not gonna happen. Sorry."

I pouted, but complied. "Fine. But, we can still kiss, right?"

"Of course. I think I would die if I couldn't kiss you."

* * *

><p><em>October 15, 2009<em>

I was standing in the Rec Hall going through my mail. There was a funky-looking orange and black envelope addressed to 'Current Resident'. _Well, how very personal of you._

I opened it up and read.

_Dear Harvard Student,_

_ We would like to inform you of a campus-wide party this Halloween. This party is being thrown by students, so it will not be chaperoned, however, due to the IFC rules, it will still be monitored, so you still need to be on your best behavior._

_ Get your favorite costume ready and show up at the MAC (for those of you who are new to campus, that's the Malkin Athletic Center) on October 31__st__ at 8:00pm._

_ Thanks,_

_ The Harvard Team_

I laughed as I wadded up the paper and tossed it in the trash can.

_Dream on 'Harvard Team', you won't catch me at another party as long as I live._

**Uh oh…do I foresee a party on the horizon?**

**Do you like to be teased? (don't we all?)**

**Well, I love to be reviewed!**

**Give it to me, baby, uh huh, uh huh**

**(say it with me)**

**And all the girlies say I'm pretty fly for a white guy! **

***yes, I am missing a few brain cells, if you find them, send them my way plz***

**One last note –**

**I wrote a super smutty one-shot if you are in the mood for PWP, lol. Check my profile lovelies.**


	8. Chapter 8

Many, gazillion thanks to my LC – Alitriona/Eila, Allysue08, Rags88, Revrag, Shereebedee, Spellboundagain, and WhatObsession17

I wish I owned them, but I don't, sorry.

**Why me?**

_October 16, 2009_

"Please, Bella. It'll be fun. We can even get matching costumes!"

"Edward. It's not a good idea. I'm not a social person, you know this. Besides, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be drinking." I looked at him sternly.

He looked at me in confusion and then furrowed his brow. "Well, I don't know why you would think that, but anyway, I hadn't said I planned to drink. I just think it would be fun to hang out with our friends together. And…well, I have always wanted to dress up." He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

I sighed heavily. "I don't know, Edward. I'm not too keen on the idea of being around a bunch of upperclassmen that we don't know. You know how mean they are to freshmen. I have a hard enough time with other freshmen, let alone juniors and seniors."

Then he looked at me with the biggest puppy dog, droopy-eyed, pouty look I had ever seen. "Pleeeeeaaaase, Bella." And then, for good measure, he batted his eyes and pushed his lower lip out as far as it would reach.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Let me think about it, okay? I'm just not sure I want to go down that route again."

You would have thought I'd said yes, because Edward started bouncing on his knees where he was kneeling on the couch. He grabbed his laptop and started typing in a url. Within seconds, there was a page full of costumes and he started sorting them, before I even had a chance to recognize what they were.

"I was thinking…what do you say to us having a Star Trek theme? Too geeky?" He was clicking costumes left and right.

"Nah, it's not too geeky. Not all trekkies are nerds." I giggled, knowing darn good and well that probably ninety-five percent of them actually were.

I caught a glimpse of a very realistic Spock costume and stopped him. "That one! That's perfect. It looks so real. It's not goofy looking like some that I've seen before."

He looked at me funny and said, "You want to be Spock?"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Yeah, I sure do. And I figured you can be Nyota Uhura." _Boy for a genius, he was pretty dense sometimes._

"So, you want _me_ to be Spock? Pointy ears and all? Like _that's_ not going to alert the geek radar."

"Oh come on! It'll be fun. If you are dragging me to this thing, then at least I get to pick your outfit. You'll be Spock and I'll be Uhura." I smiled sweetly, until I looked at his face and it was twisted in confusion.

"Bella…you do know she was African American, right? And you are like…pale as a ghost?"

"Of course I know this; I haven't been living in a cave. I can just use some spray-on tanning stuff or something." I waved my hand as if it was no big deal.

He grumbled and said, "Fine…but the minute someone cracks on my ears we're leaving. I mean it!"

I laughed and agreed, telling him that was all part of the plan to make sure we didn't stay long. He rolled his eyes and ordered his costume and then we began looking through Uhura costumes. I was very picky with the costume because there was no way I was wearing a mini skirt and most of her costumes consisted of 'barely there' dresses. I finally found one with the black slacks, so I quickly ordered it, afraid it wouldn't last long because _surely_ all of the other girls would want slacks, right? _Riiiight…_

Edward received an email confirmation that he could pick his up on the 30th and I could pick mine up on the 31st. I wasn't exactly happy about having to wait until the very last minute, but what can you do?

"Ok, Spock, I guess it's official, now. We will be beamed up Stardate -313167.57990867585." I smiled smugly.

"Actually, to be exact, it's Stardate -313167.57990867586, but who's counting?"

I elbowed him in the side. "You're such a nerd."

* * *

><p><em>October 20, 2009<em>

I was early to Physiology, again. I sat in my seat and pulled out my books and notes to busy myself until Edward graced me with his presence. _Yes, I realize I sound like a nerd._ I was looking through my notes when I felt someone squat down beside my chair. I jumped and looked over to find Newton. _Lovely._

"Hey, Bella. So, are you going to the Halloween party? I thought maybe we could coordinate our costumes and meet there." He placed his hand on my thigh and smiled what I think was supposed to be seductively. Trust me, it wasn't.

"Actually, New…Mike, I am going to the party, but I have a date." It felt really good to say that. I hadn't actually verbalized it before.

He looked repulsed when he said, "A date? With who?" _What the heck?_ The way he said it made it sound like he didn't think anyone would actually ask _me_ to a party.

"Edward. You know, the guy I sit next to every class. The guy I walk out of class with. The guy I eat lunch with, on almost a daily basis. Yeah, we are going to the party together." I jutted out my chin defiantly.

He scoffed and continued with the look of repulsion as he said, "Edward? What in the world do you see in that guy? He's a loser. You need a real man, Bella." I had forgotten that he had placed his hand on my thigh, and when he said 'real man' he emphasized it by moving his hand higher up my leg.

I grabbed his fingers and bent them backwards as I said through my teeth, "A 'real man' as you put it, wouldn't force his hands in places they were not welcomed. It'd be in your best interest to keep your grubby paws off me."

He whimpered as I released his hand. "Damn, Bella. That was unnecessary." He looked at me menacingly. "Don't worry, babe. I'll let Edward have his time in the spotlight. But the second he turns his back on you, I'll be there pick up the pieces." He smiled and leaned forward, kissing me on the cheek before I even had time to get out of the way.

I quickly wiped his nasty slobber off of my cheek and grumbled, "That's disgusting."

* * *

><p><em>October 31, 2009<em>

I had to take three different bus routes to get to the costume shop, only to find a line that wrapped all the way around the store. I was glad that I had ordered ahead of time, because I would bet that the pickings were slim. I was also a bit perturbed because of the fact that I still had to stand in this God forsaken line like everyone else, even though I had ordered two weeks before. I pulled out my iPhone and started playing Sudoku.

It took nearly three full games before I was at the front of the line. I handed the lady my confirmation number and waited patiently for her to retrieve my costume. Five excruciatingly long minutes later she handed me a garment bag, which was much smaller than I had anticipated. I unzipped it and gasped. "This is not my costume. I specifically asked for the one with slacks."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, I just give 'em how I receive 'em. Besides, this late in the game, there's not much we can do for you. Sorry. Have a good day." _Good day my…hindquarters._

I stood outside the shop for at least another fifteen minutes. What in the heck was I gonna do? It was too late to try to find another costume, and it would ruin our theme if I went as someone else anyway. But also, I wasn't going to be caught dead in a mini skirt. I contemplated my options – which weren't very many – and then I decided I could get some boots and cover up as much skin as humanly possible.

I went to several stores before I finally found one that carried thigh-high boots. Then I had the dilemma of picking the heels. The supply of boots with small or no heel was extremely limited, and to beat it all, the heelless boots were hideous. And then, of course, the gorgeous boots had five or six inch heels, which was absolutely _not_ gonna happen. I finally managed to find a pair with four inch heels – not my preference, but they would have to do – that were fairly cute. I purchased them and finally hopped on the first of three busses to take me back to my dorm.

Angela and I decided to help each other get ready and walk together to the party since Ben and Edward were located past the MAC and it would have been silly for them to pass the hall just to walk us to the party. We had made plans to meet outside of the building so that we could walk in together.

Angela had a good laugh for about twenty minutes over my getting stuck with a mini dress. When I showed her the boots I had picked out she squealed and told me that it would make my costume epic. I told her I didn't care about the costume's 'epicness', I just wanted to cover as much skin as I possibly could.

Thirty minutes before the party, our characters had been fabricated darn near close to perfection. I had found a very nice, even coverage, spray-on tan, and since I used my own hair instead of a wig, I looked authentic. I shivered when I imagined how Edward would look in his Spock costume. Laugh if you must, but Spock was just plain sexy, without even trying. Sex symbol, savant and occasional psychic; Spock is an icon for all times, and I was going to see him represented by the man I lust after on a daily basis.

Angela had chosen a Queen of Sheba ensemble and informed me that Ben was coming as King Solomon. I should also say that I had to listen to a forty-five minute rant about the discrepancies of the relationship between the two. Angela, being the hopeless romantic that she was, believed that the two were very much in love. Who was I to dispute that?

We began walking to the party five minutes before it was to start. We didn't want to be early, but at the same time, we didn't want the guys to have to wait on us.

Less than a block away from the building, I had an uneasy sense of déjà vu. My stomach twisted in knots, but then I remembered I would be with Edward, and none of the past events would come into play with him at my side. The thought comforted me, and I was able to continue walking toward the building with confidence.

We made it to the MAC and Ben was already standing there, but Edward was not.

"Hey, Bella. Edward had a phone call just as we were walking out the door, I'm sure he will be here shortly." He smiled cordially.

"Thanks, Ben. I'm sure you're right. You guys can go in; I'll just wait out here for him." I waved as they began walking away.

Less than a minute later, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Edward. My heart stuttered. I was not about to go to this party without him. I opened the message with shaky fingers.

_So sorry, something important came up last minute. Still coming, I swear, just gonna be an hr late. Plz forgive me. Xoxo_

I quickly texted back.

_No problem. Cya when you get here. Be safe. I'll wait inside. Come find me, my dear Spock. ;) xoxo_

I swallowed nervously and gathered up the courage to walk inside.

The first thing I did was look for Angela or Ben, or heck, even Emmett would suffice at this point. Anyone that could ward off _Newton_. Of course, since I'm analogous to Charlie Brown, and nothing ever works to my advantage, I couldn't find a single person I recognized. I was disheartened when I came to the conclusion that I would have to fend for myself and most likely come in contact with _Newton_ once again.

I went toward the mass of people congregating around the snack table. I diverted my steps to avoid the liquor table and hopefully not see anymore naked torsos being used as shot glasses. I grabbed a can of Barq's and shuffled back to the long, empty wall, leaned my shoulder against it, and pulled out my iPhone to play some Sudoku until Edward appeared, or someone non-pervy came to keep me company.

I had barely filled in four numbers when I felt hands snake around my waist. I jumped and tried to pull away, prepared for those hands to belong to Mike Newton. The arms grasped me tightly and pulled me back and I felt lips against my ear.

"Hey there, you magnificent female specimen," Edward whispered before he sucked my earlobe into his mouth.

"Mmmm, I thought you were going to be an hour late." I moved my head to the side, giving him full access to my neck.

"The issue has been rectified." He began sucking on my neck, hard enough that he was going to leave a mark. I was a bit worried about having a noticeable blemish that could easily be deduced as a hickey. _Oh well, it's not like I have to hide it from a parent, so why not?_

Edward snaked his hands further around my waist and groaned into my ear, "You look so freaking hot in this outfit, you know…I'm not gonna be able to keep my hands off of you. And those 'fuck me' boots make me want to do exactly that." _What in the world had come over him?_

I twisted around to get a look at him in his Spock outfit and to see if maybe he had somehow already gotten a hold of some alcohol, because let's face it – Edward and alcohol were not a good combination, and that's the only explanation for his brusque attitude. Once I was completely facing him, I did _not_ come face to face with Spock, but honest to God I didn't have it in me to complain, because _Lord, have mercy_ he was the sexiest thing I had ever laid eyes on.

He was wearing a black jumpsuit with a padded muscle torso giving him the look of a very defined muscled man. There was a wide, black belt across the middle with fancy gold designs surrounding the letter 'Z'. The costume had knee-high boots attached to the jumpsuit. He had a long black cape with printed gold trim near the neckline and two gold studs with the letter 'Z' and a metal chain connected between them. He was wearing the signature Zorro hat with the gold 'Z' and gold trim, along with the adjustable strap under the chin, which he had hanging very loosely. Of course, he also had the black face mask and a rapier sheathed in a scabbard hanging from his hip.

I closed my gaping mouth and swallowed repeatedly trying to get some moisture in my mouth, but it was a fruitless attempt. I gulped down a swig of my soda and licked my lips. Apparently the costume shop had messed up his order much like mine, but _his_ was for the better. Unfortunately, now we weren't a matching couple and I felt extremely inadequate next to the magnificent Don Diego de la Vega. _Seriously, doesn't that sound incredibly sexy? Even more so than Zorro…le sigh._

"Well, you look…really, _really_ amazing. I guess they messed up your order as well, huh? It's great, though. I just feel very out of place." I chuckled.

Edward stepped forward so his chest was flush with mine and he leaned in and placed a soft kiss against my lips. The kiss was brief and I whined when he pulled away. He smiled slyly and placed his lips against mine a bit more forcefully. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he moaned against my mouth. He enveloped my waist with his arms and pulled me tighter against him. I licked his lips asking for entrance and he granted me access enthusiastically. As our tongues danced he pressed me against the wall, grinding his erection into my stomach. I was so caught up in the heat of the moment, that I actually forgot we were smack dab in the middle of a crowd of strangers.

I separated from him, just a tad and said, "We um, shouldn't…we have an audience, we should calm down."

He briefly sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and then grabbed me by the hand and started leading me down a dark hall. Once we were further back in the shadows, he shoved me against the wall again, widening my stance with his leg, which was now placed between mine. He went back to kissing me as he lowered himself so that his erection was situated at the apex between my thighs, and he began to press against me.

I twisted my hands into the back of his jumpsuit and he hummed against my lips and began creating friction between us as he continued to press against my pelvis. He slid his tongue into my mouth and explored like he'd never done before, never ceasing his grinding.

Edward reached behind me, cupped my butt and lifted me so that my waist was even with his. He wrapped my legs around his hips and I couldn't even begin to fathom what was happening. It was so incredible, so intense, and I didn't want to stop. Once I locked my ankles together and he realized I wasn't going to lose my footing, he ran his hands up my thighs, under my skirt and skimmed the edge of my panties. It was at that moment that I remembered I was in a very short mini skirt and most likely more of my body was on display than I had ever intended. However, I was too far gone to really care at that point. He quit his grinding just enough to slip his fingers under the edge of my panties. I squeaked when I felt his skin come in contact with my very wet, very warm, _very_ sensitive flesh, which had never been touched without barriers before.

"Shh, you don't want to draw attention to this hall, do you? That would be quite embarrassing if someone caught you in the midst of your orgasm, wouldn't it?" I had never heard Edward speak so seductively before. I couldn't stop the actions that followed. I pressed my wetness against his fingers and threaded my hands in his hair as I barreled forward into another searing kiss. His sexy Zorro hat slipped backward off of his head, but the neck strap caught on his chin. He made a gurgling sound alerting me that the strap was choking him. I slipped it over his head and dropped his hat behind him.

He then resumed the kissing and slid a finger into me. I groaned and bucked my hips unintentionally, causing his finger to go deeper and the pleasurable pressure to increase. I was breathlessly panting against his lips, so he then lowered his mouth and began peppering my neck with gentle pecks and nibbles. He quickened his finger and flattened his tongue against my jugular causing a marvelous sensation simultaneously with the titillating tingle going on between my legs. I was on the verge of climax, and I was breathing so quickly and shallowly that I was sure I would hyperventilate if it lasted too long.

Edward slipped another finger inside of me and bit my earlobe murmuring into my ear, "Cum for me. Cum allover my fingers so I can lick them clean." _Holy mother of pearl! Where did he learn to talk like this? That was freaking hot!_

Of course his dirty talk did inevitably push me over the edge and I had to bite down on his shoulder to keep from screaming out in ecstasy. Once I came down, he really did, honest to God, take his fingers up to his mouth and so slowly, so erotically, he sucked the juice from them and instantly plunged his tongue back into my mouth with my juices still evident.

Then, very suddenly, he jerked back and lowered me to the floor and turned back toward the party. _What the…_

I started running after him – well, as fast as I could run in heels, which regrettably was about as fast as a turtle. I turned the corner and the room was incredibly crowded. It seemed like the population had doubled since we had gone to the back hall. I scanned the room for Edward's hat, which he had since put back on his head, and I caught him near the front door.

I weaved in and out of the crowd, rushing to him before he could leave. I couldn't figure out what had just happened, but I needed to see what I had done wrong. I was about ten feet behind him and just before I called out his name my eyes fell upon a sight that dropped my stomach clean out of my body and onto the floor in front of me.

Spock was walking in the front door.

**I'm just gonna back away slowly, but before I do, I will leave you with some rec's to read while you wait for next week *grin***

**(Have you read my outtake? It's chapter 7 from EPOV)**

**A few of my LC members have stories, you totally should check out.**

**/ s / 5326052 / 1 / Random_Angels**

**/ u / 1869116 / allysue08 (just check out everything she writes, I can't decide which to pimp, lol)**

**/ s / 5470368 / 1 / Simplicity_is_Key (it says on hiatus, but her hiatus is going to be over in a couple weeks)**

**/ s / 5605017 / 1 / All_Ive_Known**

**A very good friend of mine writes a story, and she could use some love!**

**/ s / 5594908 / 1 / A_New_Normal**

**Until next week, my lovies. ;) Luv 2 U all!**

**Remember, a review will get you a peek into the next chapter!**


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